http://academicjournalsinc.com Academic Journals Inc. en-us Academic Journals Inc. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 18:11:57 +0200 Fri, 10 Feb 2012 18:14:14 +0200 RssPublisher 0.2.0 beta http://academicjournalsinc.com/images/logo1.gif http://academicjournalsinc.com 37 155 Academic Journals Inc. ajinchttp://feedburner.google.com ]]> 2010-04-07 ]]> 2010-04-07 ]]> 2010-04-07 ]]> 2010-04-07 ]]> 2010-04-07 ]]> 2010-04-07 ]]> 2010-04-06 ]]> 2010-04-06 http://personalizedmedicine.sfsu.edu/), as are additional details on the conference. ]]> 2010-04-05 ]]> 2010-04-05 ]]> 2010-04-03 ]]> 2010-04-03 ]]> 2010-04-03
Next, the researchers examined adult and fetal human brain tissue from healthy and Down syndrome samples obtained from a national tissue bank. �In both adult and fetal Down syndrome brain samples, it didn�t matter which area of the brain we were looking at, the MeCP2 proteins were down. These are just observations with no manipulation on our part, and the MeCP2 is almost non-existent in the Down syndrome brain,� senior author Dr. Terry Elton said. �We marked the protein with a fluorescent molecule, and by comparison, we could visualize and appreciate how much MeCP2 was being made by neurons in the control samples.�

MeCP2 is a transcription factor, meaning that it turns genes on and off. If its levels are too low in the brain, this suggests that genes influenced by its presence should be malfunctioning too. Based on previous research by another group, Dr. Elton and colleagues focused on two genes affected by the MeCP2 protein for their next set of experiments. Looking again at the human brain tissue samples, they found that the genes were indeed affected by the lowered protein level in Down syndrome brains--one gene that MeCP2 normally silences was in abundance, and the gene that should have been activated was underexpressed. Because the two genes examined have known roles in neural development, Dr. Elton said the results suggested even more strongly that the lowered protein�s effects on the genes likely contribute to cognitive problems associated with Down syndrome.

Finally, the researchers tested an experimental drug called an antagomir on mice that serve as models for Down syndrome research. Antagomirs are relatively new agents that render microRNAs inactive. The scientists injected an antagomir into the brains of these mice to silence the miR-155 with the intent to increase levels of the MeCP2 protein. Seven days after the injection, the level of the protein in the treated mouse brains resembled levels in normal mouse brains. �We showed that we can fix the protein abnormality in mice that model Down syndrome. But we can�t undo the pathology that has already occurred,� Elton said. �It�s a starting point, but it appears that we have new therapeutic targets to consider.�

This work was published in the January 8, 2010 issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry. ]]> 2010-04-02
Dr Sepehr Shakib, from the Royal Adelaide Hospital, and his co-authors, including cardiologists Dr Dennis Wong and Dr Ben Dundon with social epidemiologist Dr Robyn Clark from the Samson Institute, University of South Australia, undertook a retrospective analysis of clinical data for 2961 patients admitted with chronic heart failure over a period of 10 years.

The authors found patients who had heart failure with preserved systolic function (HFPSF) were predominantly older women with less social support and a greater burden of comorbid conditions such as renal impairment, anaemia and atrial fibrillation compared with those with left ventricular systolic dysfunction.

There was also an increase in the risk of re-hospitalisation among patients with HFPSF. Dr Shakib said lack of social and carer support and a greater burden of comorbid conditions in patients with HFPSF may have played a significant predisposing role in hospitalisation and readmissions. "Our study is the first to identify significant differences in the social environment of these patients," Dr Shakib said.

"We propose that the burden of reduced survival in HFPSF may relate more to comorbid conditions than suboptimal cardiac management." ]]> 2010-01-19
The study was the work of lead author Dr D Casey Kerrigan, of JKM Technologies LLC, in Charlottesville, Virginia and colleagues from the University of Colorado and the University of Virginia, and was published in the December 2009 issue of PM&R: The journal of injury, function and rehabilitation.

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) accounts for more disability in the elderly than any other disease, and although running has been shown to benefit health in many ways, including cardiovascular health, it can stress the joints in the leg, such as the hip, knee, and ankle. ]]> 2010-01-19
"In the study, using the cells from individuals with Down syndrome that are genetically predisposed to developing Alzheimer's disease, we showed that elevated levels of �CTF, independent of A�, cause a specific pattern of endosome defects with similar pathology of brain cells in Alzheimer's disease," said Ying Jiang, PhD, lead author and clinical instructor in the Department of Psychiatry at NYU Langone Medical Center. "Our research was successfully able to pinpoint that �CTF causes Alzheimer's disease -related endosome defects and that we could successfully reverse these endosome defects by lowering �CTF levels in the cells." ]]> 2010-01-19
LearningPlus aims to empower people living with HIV to take more control of their health. The course will address issues including relaxation techniques, exercise, healthy eating, dealing with depression, communicating with family, friends and health professionals, as well as planning for the future. The classes also provide an ideal opportunity to meet other people with HIV and share experiences - and are a great way to build confidence and take control. ]]> 2010-01-19
The most popular New Year resolutions are focused on self-improvement, and are often unfulfilled: to eat more fruit and vegetables, do more exercise, stop smoking, and drink less alcohol.2 But we can do one very achievable simple thing focusing on saving the lives of others - join the NHS Organ Donor Register.

The increase is a result of NHSBT's first-ever UK public awareness campaign for organ donation, encouraging more than 112,0003 people in the first month to join the ODR.

Of these, over 34,000 signed up by going online with the most common age group being 16-34 year olds, and 60% of online registrations coming from women. Over-55s accounted for 10% of the sign-ups. Regionally, the greatest number of online sign-ups during November 2009 came from the North West of England - 3,994 - while the highest proportion of registrations came from the North East of England - 736 per million population. The biggest increase over the same month last year (over 5-fold) was seen in Northern Ireland, followed by South West of England (a 462% increase). ]]> 2010-01-19
"It is very important to set fitness goals and incorporate physical activity into your daily routine to manage stress levels," says NYC physical therapist Megan Barclay. "If time or finances prohibit you from going to the gym, find other ways to stay active such as taking a walk, running and even yard work or gardening."

Chronic stress can lead to serious health problems including elevated blood pressure, a suppressed immune system, increased risk of heart attack, contribute to infertility and accelerate the aging process, to name a few. So it is important to recognize when your stress levels are out of control and make a resolution to regain control of your health. Barclay says, "The most dangerous aspect of stress is how easily it can creep up on you, it can start to feel familiar and even normal. You don't notice how much of an effect it has on you, even as it takes a heavy burden on your body."

While well-intentioned, most New Year's resolutions to get in shape involve beginning a fitness regimen characterized by over-exertion and strenuous exercise, and many women wind up suffering from injuries - most commonly to their knees and ankles. Those trouble areas should be supported, but most women find the braces and supports on the market do not fit well or are uncomfortable. There is a reason for this. ]]> 2010-01-19
Results show that adolescents with parental set bedtimes of midnight or later were 24 percent more likely to suffer from depression (odds ratio = 1.24) and 20 percent more likely to have suicidal ideation (OR=1.20) than adolescents with parental set bedtimes of 10 p.m. or earlier. This association was appreciably attenuated by self-reported sleep duration and the perception of getting enough sleep. Adolescents who reported that they usually sleep for five or fewer hours per night were 71 percent more likely to suffer from depression (OR=1.71) and 48 percent more likely to think about committing suicide (OR=1.48) than those who reported getting eight hours of nightly sleep. Participants who reported that they "usually get enough sleep" were significantly less likely to suffer from depression (OR=0.35) and suicidal ideation (OR=0.71). ]]> 2010-01-19
After they are initially made, most proteins are modified through the addition of sugar chains, fats or other chemical groups. These modifications can completely change how a protein works and where it is located in the body. Disruption of these modifications can alter protein function, too, and can lead to disease.

The UI study focused on dystroglycan, a cell membrane protein that is disrupted in many forms of muscular dystrophy. Normal dystroglycan is modified with a unique sugar chain that allows the protein to "glue" muscle membranes to the basal lamina -- a tough layer of extracellular proteins. This arrangement reinforces the fragile muscle membrane and prevents small tears that occur naturally from expanding and damaging the membrane.

Recent work, including studies by the UI team, show that disrupting dystroglycan's ability to attach to the basal lamina causes congenital muscular dystrophies and also leads to cancer progression in epithelial cell cancer. In these conditions, the dystroglycan sugar chain is incompletely or incorrectly assembled and the dystroglycan cannot bind tightly to laminin.

"Dystroglycan is a complex and unusual glycoprotein. It is heavily covered with many types of sugars. We wanted to know the shape and make up of the unique sugar chain that allows dystroglycan to bind to laminin," said study leader Kevin Campbell, Ph.D., professor and head of molecular physiology and biophysics at the UI Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. ]]> 2010-01-19
"In their routine consultations with patients, GPs have opportunities to identify hearing loss and appropriately refer patients to specialists or allied health professionals," Prof Mitchell said.

GPs responded to patient presentations for hearing loss, referring about 50 per cent of cases to specialists or allied health professionals. But they appeared to identify relatively few cases of hearing loss opportunistically. ]]> 2010-01-19
More than 80% of women in the US will use some form of hormonal contraception during their reproductive years. There are several different forms of hormonal contraception including pills, patches, implants, injections, vaginal rings, and the intrauterine device (IUD). Pregnancy prevention is the primary reason that most women use hormonal contraception. However, these contraceptives are also frequently prescribed specifically for non-contraceptive reasons, which is considered off-label use.

"We've known for many years that hormonal contraceptives have health advantages beyond preventing pregnancy," says Robert L. Reid, MD, of Kingston, Ontario, who led development of the document. "These recommendations examine the scientific data supporting the non-contraceptive uses of hormonal contraceptives to treat specific conditions." ]]> 2010-01-19
"Agency workers provide a valuable service and these figures should be viewed with caution as the agency receives a substantial part of the 'salary'. However, at a time when the NHS is having to make huge efficiency savings, Trusts must get a better hold on their reliance on agency staff to stop these vast sums of money being squandered. Trusts need to better manage peaks and troughs of demand, make their workplaces attractive for permanent staff, and ensure there are flexible working arrangements available. Consistently paying agencies huge sums of money to fill the gaps is not acceptable." ]]> 2010-01-19
Canada has been developing Panorama, a national electronic system that will "collect, analyse and disseminate public health surveillance data for the management of infectious diseases" according to Dr. Jeff Kwong and coauthors from the Public Health Agency of Canada/Canadian Institutes of Health Research Influenza Research Network Vaccine Coverage Theme Group. Panorama will include an immunization registry that will help in responding to public health emergencies and vaccination efforts.

However, not every province and territory will adopt the new system which will have a staggered rollout between 2010 and 2012. Potential barriers to collecting electronic data include funding to implement and maintain immunization registries, coordinating data collection from various health care providers, ensuring patient privacy and data security as well as human reluctance to adopt new technologies. ]]> 2010-01-19
IBD, which affects approximately 1 in 500 people in the United States, describes a group of diseases, including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, with inflammation in the intestinal tract. Patients with IBD experience diverse symptoms, including abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, bloody stools, and weight loss.

Immune responses contribute to mucosal permeability, and hence diarrhea, in IBD; however, the mechanisms that govern this response are not completely understood. Tang et al therefore examined the role of NK-κB, an inflammatory mediator, in IBD-induced diarrhea. Following immune activation, blocking NK-κB expression in the cells lining the intestinal tract inhibited diarrhea and prevented protein changes in these cells, resulting in decreased leakiness between the cells. These findings suggest that immune cell-mediated activation of NK-κB in IBD promotes the movement of fluid into the bowel lumen, resulting in diarrhea. ]]> 2010-01-19
With a new five-year, $2.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, University of Cincinnati (UC) researchers will continue interdisciplinary partnerships to study the causes behind those disorders and the most effective ways to treat them. The grant, awarded to laryngologist Sid Khosla, MD, of UC's department of otolaryngology, includes aerospace engineer Ephraim Gutmark, PhD, of engineering, Suzanne Boyce, PhD, of communication sciences & disorders, Shanmugam Murugappan, PhD, of otolaryngology and Mihai Mihaescu, PhD, of engineering. ]]> 2010-01-19
The large multicenter international trial study included 291 patients with coronary artery calcification and found that compared with examinations of white patients, studies of black patients had significantly poorer image quality.

"Physiologic factors such as high heart rate, arrhythmia, obesity, and high coronary calcium burden with motion continue to limit the diagnostic accuracy of MDCT as compared with conventional invasive coronary angiography. Our study is significant because we found a relevant influence of BMI, heart rate, ethnicity, and breathing artifact on the degradation of image quality," said Melvin E. Clouse, MD, lead author of the study. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174775.php 2010-01-04
"Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an important clinical problem in the United States and around the world," said Donald G. Stein, PhD, lead author of the paper. "TBI has received more attention recently because of its high incidence among combat casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan. Current Department of Defense statistics indicated that as many as 30 percent of wounded soldiers seen at Walter Reed Army Hospital have suffered a TBI, a finding that has stimulated government interest in developing a safe and effective treatment for this complex disorder," said Stein.

"Growing evidence indicates that post-injury administration of PROG in a variety of brain damage models can have beneficial effects, leading to substantial and sustained improvements in brain functionality. PROG given to both males and females can cross the blood-brain barrier and reduce edema (swelling) levels after TBI; in different models of cerebral ischemia (restriction of blood supply), significantly reduce the area of necrotic cell death and improve behavioral outcomes; and protect neurons distal to the injury that would normally die," said Stein. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174706.php 2010-01-04
The MACSI study is as international, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase III clinical trial. The trial will compare the stroke outcome in a group of patients treated with placebo (an inactive substance) to patients treated with 1 mg/kg/day of DP-b99 for 4 consecutive days. The study is expected to enroll, in total, 770 patients at 120 - 140 clinical sites worldwide.

Recently D-Pharm met with the FDA to discuss the Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) and will continue the dialog with the FDA towards the final agreement.

Dr. Gilad Rosenberg, D-Pharm's V.P. Clinical Development stated, "We're very pleased that this important clinical milestone has been achieved on schedule. The challenge is now to effectively activate the additional clinical sites to ensure a patient recruitment rate sufficient to complete the study on time, as planned." ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174932.php 2010-01-04
Those are the conclusions of a study carried out at the University of Granada (Spain), which has been recently published in the journal Revista de investigaci�n psicoeductiva and the Electronic Journal of Research in Educational Psychology.

To conduct this research, the authors analysed in depth the work of three last-year students of the degree in Mathematics of the UGR, who were isolated separately to solve a problem and were recorded in video to study their speeches aloud later. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174590.php 2010-01-04
WHAT'S HOT is the newest publication from The Gerontological Society of America (GSA), the country's largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to the field of aging. Support for this issue was provided by sanofi-aventis.

Based on presentation highlights from GSA's 62nd Annual Scientific Meeting in November 2009, the first issue of WHAT'S HOT covers topics such as the impact of the economic crisis on older workers' health; the perceived prevalence of job discrimination among older workers; and health care utilization patterns among older Asian minorities.

"To fully resolve barriers that minorities face in seeking health care, we need research that is broader than access to care," said Toni Miles, MD, PhD, of the University of Louisville, who served as an advisor for the issue. "The studies in this newsletter reflect this need. Readers will be enlightened by this collection. As a whole, GSA researchers are a valuable resource for policymakers and should be sought out when seeking effective approaches to reducing health disparities."

Baby boomers make up a considerable proportion of the adult population among all racial and ethnic groups in the United States. A central challenge related to managing the health needs of this age group is that they are approaching a stage of life often marked by increasing prevalence of chronic disease and disability. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174579.php 2010-01-04
The report from 23 December estimates there were 21.5 cases of a flu-like illness diagnosed by GPs out of every 100,000 people in Wales - this is the equivalent of 645 people in Wales contacting their GPs in the last seven days with flu like symptoms. Not all of these people will have swine flu and not everyone with flu like symptoms will contact their GP.

The report also shows levels of influenza activity in each county of Wales. On 23 December the rate of diagnosis of flu-like illness at a local level ranged from 7.2 per 100,000 people in Denbighshire to 31.9 per 100,000 people in Newport.

GPs are no longer being asked to swab people they suspect may have swine flu. Microbiology laboratories are therefore no longer testing most people suspected of having swine flu. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174887.php 2010-01-04
The supplement contains 17 support tools from renowned experts in the field. The articles are structured using a set of questions that can help to guide the use of research evidence to inform health policy decisions.

The tools were developed by the SUPporting POlicy relevant Reviews and Trials (SUPPORT) project, an international collaboration funded by the European Commission's 6th Framework with partners in Africa, South America, Europe and North America. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174586.php 2010-01-04
Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer and is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among men in the United States, following lung cancer. Prostate cancer most commonly develops in men over the age of 50 and is slow-growing; however, it may metastasize to other organs, particular to the bones and lymph nodes. Metastatic phase prostate cancer claims over 30,000 deaths per year in the United States alone.

Prostate cancer cells are often resistant to cell death. Researchers led by Dr. Dario C. Altieri of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, therefore, explored the role of TRAP-1, a protein thought to regulate cell death, in prostate cancer survival. TRAP-1 was highly expressed in both high-grade human prostate cancer lesions and mouse models of prostate cancer, but not in benign or normal prostate tissue. In addition, TRAP-1 overexpression in non-cancer prostate cells inhibited cell death, whereas TRAP-1-deficient prostate cancer cells had enhanced levels of cell death. Moreover, treatment with Gamitrinib, which inhibits TRAP-1, resulted in prostate cancer cell death, but not death of non-cancerous prostate cells. Therefore, targeting TRAP-1 via Gamitrinib treatment may be a viable therapeutic strategy for patients with advanced prostate cancer. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174896.php 2010-01-04
Experts recommend that intensivists (intensive care physicians) care for ICU patients onsite because of an associated lower rate of illness and death. "However, there is a shortage of intensivists, which has led to the use of telemedicine technology to allow intensivists to remotely and simultaneously care for patients in several ICUs (ICU telemedicine [tele-ICU]), thus extending their reach," the authors write. "Remote monitoring may be a partial solution for the intensivist shortage, but it is expensive, its use is increasing, and there are few data in the peer-reviewed literature evaluating its effect on morbidity and mortality."

Eric J. Thomas, M.D., M.P.H., of the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, and colleagues assessed the effect of a tele-ICU intervention on mortality, complications, and length of stay (LOS) in 6 ICUs of 5 hospitals in a large U.S. health care system by measuring these outcomes before and after implementation of the tele-ICU. The study included 2,034 patients in the preintervention period (January 2003 to August 2005) and 2,108 patients in the postintervention period (July 2004 to July 2006). Almost two-thirds of the patients in the postintervention group had physicians who chose minimal delegation to the tele-ICU (n = 1,393 [66.1 percent]), in which the tele-ICU intervened only for patients in life-threatening situations. Physicians delegated full treatment authority to the tele-ICU for 655 patients (31.1 percent). ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174904.php 2010-01-04
Patrick Griffin, chair of the Scripps Research Department of Molecular Therapeutics and director of the Translational Research Institute at Scripps Florida, will lead the project as principal investigator. The grant will begin in January 2010.

The tests will focus on identifying ligands for the orphan nuclear receptor liver receptor homolog-1 or LRH-1, which plays a crucial role in hormone-driven breast cancer through its regulation of genes involved in hormone biosynthesis as well as fat and cholesterol metabolism - key risk factors in cardiovascular disease. Receptors like LRH-1 detect circulating signaling molecules (known as ligands) such as hormones or neurotransmitters; the ligand binds to the receptor, creating a biological response or blocking the receptor. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174566.php 2010-01-04
Based on the groundbreaking National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP), the supplement's 14 articles focus on demographic characteristics; social networks; social and cultural activity; physical and mental health, including cognition, well-being, illness, medications, and alternative therapies; history of sexual and intimate partnerships; and patient-physician communication.

"The NSHAP represents an extraordinary contribution to the study of aging, and published findings from it have already shed new light on critical issues in social gerontology - from abuse to sexuality, said Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences Editor Kenneth F. Ferraro, PhD, of Purdue University. "A truly distinctive feature of the study is the collection of several biomeasures on a national sample."

The NSHAP is a unique, interdisciplinary effort to collect social data alongside biological indicators in a population-based sample of older adults. The study collected 13 biomeasures, including the assessment of respondents' weight, waist circumference, height, blood pressure, distance vision, smell, touch, and mobility. NSHAP also collected blood spots, saliva, oral fluid for HIV testing, and, from female respondents, a self-administered vaginal swab. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174578.php 2010-01-04
The AMA this week said that $157 million of Government money was not enough to fund the teaching resources needed to cope with the increase in student numbers which saw 1544 domestic medical students graduate in 2007, an increase of 22 per cent from 2003. This is projected to increase to 2920 graduates by 2012.

Echoing concerns over the ability to adequately train the rising number of pharmacy graduates, the President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, Warwick Plunkett, said the present outflow of pharmacy graduates from universities annually now required nearly 30 per cent of all pharmacies to place a post-graduate student. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174166.php 2009-12-24
Their research appears as a paper in the 1 January 2010 print issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Lead author, Dr Thais Mauad, associate professor of the Department of Pathology at S�o Paulo University, told the media why we need to understand more about the novel H1N1 swine flu virus:

"The lack of information on the pathophysiology of this novel disease is a limitation that prevents better clinical management and hinders the development of a therapeutic strategy." ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174784.php 2009-12-24
One published study is based on views of more than 1,000 family practice and specialist physicians in Massachusetts who were asked whether they thought electronic health information exchange (HIE) would drive down costs, improve patient care, free up their time and preserve patient confidentiality. They were also asked whether they would be willing to pay a monthly fee to use the system.

The electronic exchange of health information (HIE) among different long- distance providers has become the focus of intense national interest, following recent legislation and moves to offer cash incentives for those who switch to the system. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174202.php 2009-12-24
According to Dr. Natalia Uribe, who directs the Contact Lens Program in The Vision Center at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, "The brain's visual system is not fully mature until about age eight. It is critical that infants and very young children with eye problems have their sight corrected so the visual pathway develops properly. Otherwise it may not be possible for them to enjoy normal vision as an adult."

Dr. Uribe, an optometrist, said her clinic is growing and will treat more than 700 young patients this year, making it one of the largest centers in the nation. She said more infants are being diagnosed with major eye problems due to better screening and to the higher rate of survival among extremely preterm infants.

Premature infants are at risk for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), a disease affecting the blood vessels feeding the retina and for other eye problems. Medical studies have shown that approximately 20 percent of all premature babies will develop some form of strabismus (crossed eyes), amblyopia (lazy eye) or serious refractive error (require glasses) by the time they are 3 years of age. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174719.php 2009-12-24
"I am pleased to see the start of this 18 week randomized, outpatient multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled study that will administer RVX-208 to approximately 280 patients with stable CAD for 13 weeks," said Dr. Stephen J. Nicholls, MBBS, PhD, Medical Director of the Atherosclerosis Imaging Core Laboratories at Cleveland Clinic and Cardiovascular Director of the Cleveland Clinic Coordinating Center for Clinical Research. "This trial is one of two parallel studies, in this particular study the focus is on stable CAD patients, while the second trial will be focused on unstable acute coronary syndrome and will include the use of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS)." ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174715.php 2009-12-24
The five-year contract with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) emphasizes the development of prototypes that would enable more rapid triage of patients than is currently possible.

"With the proliferation of advanced radiological materials in hospitals, clinics or nuclear facilities throughout the world, the risks and threats of a 'dirty bomb' incident or similar nuclear disaster remains very real," said Carl Yamashiro, PhD, the principal investigator at ASU's Biodesign Institute who will direct the effort. "We have assembled a dream team of institutions and companies to catalyze our team's research and discovery efforts, and translate the advances into a field-deployable technology." ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174677.php 2009-12-24
"She had led CDC from one crisis to another, including the investigation into the anthrax attacks that killed five people in 2001, the H5N1 avian influenza, the global outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, and various outbreaks of food poisoning" (Fox/Berkrot, 12/21).

Dow Jones/Wall Street Journal adds: "As president of the vaccines business, [Gerberding] will be responsible for the sale of the company's current portfolio of vaccines, the introduction of vaccines from the company's pipeline and the acceleration of Merck's efforts to broaden vaccinations in developing countries" (Solsman, 12/21). ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174741.php 2009-12-24
"A gay bar partially funded by the government of a Chinese city heavily affected by AIDS has finally opened after a delay caused by intense media interest which the owners felt may scared off potential patrons," Reuters Life! reports. The bar in the southwestern city of Dali is a collaborative effort by the city's health department and two NGOs, according to the news service (12/21). "The venue aims to provide a place where homosexuals can meet in a relaxed atmosphere and get information about HIV/AIDS prevention," Agence France-Presse reports (12/20). ChinaRealTimeReport/Wall Street Journal adds: "For the bar's opening night, 10 volunteers staged a play that included information on HIV prevention. Customers also received free condoms," according to the news service (12/21). ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174737.php 2009-12-24
A typical Christmas dinner of turkey and pudding clocks up nearly 1,500 calories, which is over half of the recommended daily allowance for a man and three quarters of that recommended for a woman, says the Department of Health for England, in a new push to promote Walk4Life as part of its Change4Life campaign to encourage families to "eat well, move more and live longer".

If every person in England walked their local streets, fields or beaches after their dinner on Christmas day, this would add up to 50 million miles, they said in a statement. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174721.php 2009-12-24
SPARKy is the first prosthetic device to apply regenerative kinetics to its design, which resulted in a lightweight (four pound) device that allows the wearer to walk on grass, cement and rocks, as well as ascend and descend stairs and inclines.

SPARKY operates by employing a spring to store energy as the wearer walks during normal gait, said Thomas Sugar, an ASU associate professor of engineering at the Polytechnic campus who led the research. Sugar and his colleagues -- ASU doctoral students Joseph Hitt and Matthew Holgate, as well as Barrett Honors College student Ryan Bellman -- have been developing and refining SPARKy for three years as part of a U.S. Army grant.

SPARKy uses a robotic tendon to actively stretch springs when the ankle rolls over the foot, thus allowing the springs to thrust or propel the artificial foot forward for the next step. Because energy is stored, a lightweight motor is used to adjust the position of a finely tuned spring that provides most of the power required for gait. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174695.php 2009-12-24
This project expands on work in chemical self-replication and in chemical and biochemical regulatory mechanisms in solutions and on surfaces. The work will provide insights into different processes' time scales and used to determine efficient ways to modify or redirect overall biochemical dynamics.

Developing an understanding of chemical self-replication and the genetic regulation of biochemical mechanisms can contribute to the understanding of diseases, including AIDS and mad cow disease.

The grant will also support the upgrade of regional high school chemistry courses to Advanced Placement Chemistry, as well as including a college advising component targeting potential first generation college students. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174678.php 2009-12-24
Neuroscientist Don Katz and colleagues discovered that if the taste cortex in rats is inactivated when a rat first smells an odor, at least a food odor, then the rat subsequently will only recognize the food associated with that odor if the taste cortex is again inactivated.

"We discovered that rats use their taste system to smell with, so when you knock out the taste cortex, even for an hour, as we did, you alter their sense of smell," explained Katz. The researchers wrote that "this is the only example of state dependency in neural circuit function of which we are aware." ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174674.php 2009-12-24
Some studies have suggested that there has been a progressive decrease in the incidence of newborns with CF in some areas. "A circumstance that might influence CF birth rates is the detection of carrier couples," the authors write.

Carlo Castellani, M.D., of the Cystic Fibrosis Center, Verona Hospital, Verona, Italy, and colleagues evaluated the association between CF carrier screening and CF birth incidence in northeastern Italy, where CF neonatal screening has been performed for many years. Since the early 1990s, a significant progressive decrease of CF birth rates has been recorded for this area. In this region, two different carrier detection approaches were identified-the western region, in which CF carrier tests are offered only to relatives of patients or to couples planning in vitro fertilization; and the eastern region, in which carrier testing is offered to relatives and carrier screening to infertile couples and to couples of reproductive age. A total of 779,631 newborns underwent CF neonatal screening between Jan. 1993 and Dec. 2007, of whom 195 had CF detected. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174158.php 2009-12-24
"Early CPR improves outcomes from cardiac arrest; yet, only a modest portion of victims receive early CPR from bystanders," said author Thomas D. Rea, M.D., M.P.H., Program Medical Director, King County Medic One, EMS Division, Kent, Wash., and Associate Professor of Medicine, Harborview Medical Center at the University of Washington.

"We know that dispatcher instructions can increase survival by enabling early bystander CPR. While the goal is to support dispatcher-assisted CPR programs, concerns remain about the potential for CPR to injure people who may not be experiencing cardiac arrest. We did this study to determine the frequency of dispatcher-assisted CPR for patients not in arrest and the frequency and severity of injury related to chest compressions." ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174690.php 2009-12-24
The 10,000th patient came to UPMC with worsening balance problems. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of his brain revealed the small lesion, known as a metastasis -- a secondary tumor whose origin was a primary tumor located somewhere else in his body. The site of this patient's primary lesion was unclear, as are approximately 30 percent of cancers that go to the brain, said L. Dade Lunsford, M.D., Lars Leksell Professor and Distinguished Professor of Neurological Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh, and co-director, Center for Image-Guided Neurosurgery, UPMC.

"Because the patient had no known primary tumor, we performed a minimally invasive biopsy of the brain tumor during a procedure that began at 6:30 a.m. We confirmed that the lesion was a metastatic tumor requiring intervention," said Dr. Lunsford, who was the first clinician to use Leksell Gamma Knife in the United States. "At 9:30, we used our Leksell Gamma Knife� Perfexion(TM) system to deliver the radiosurgery, which took about 38 minutes." ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174709.php 2009-12-24
In study 206 the incidence of alanine transaminase (ALT) levels greater than five times the upper limit of normal ( > 5xULN) levels was 6% (16 of 257 patients); however, bilirubin remained normal in all but one patient. The elevation of ALT occurred in all dose groups and appears to be related to the duration of dosing. The incidence was 3.9% (10 patients) in the 100 mg group; 0.8% (2 patients) in the 50 mg group; 1.6% (4 patients) in the 25 mg group. No abnormalities of liver function were observed in the placebo group.

A rise in transaminases to > 5x ULN is considered to be predictive of a potential for drug induced liver injury. As these significant elevations in ALT have been observed in all the dose groups, Addex considers that future development of ADX10059 for long term use appears unlikely. The company will evaluate potential development options based on the complete analysis of the data from study 205, a 4-week study in GERD patients, which will report top-line data in early January. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174134.php 2009-12-24
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that tuberculosis kills approximately 2 million people worldwide each year. Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is becoming an increasing problem in many parts of the world, largely due to poor patient adherence to the six-month tuberculosis chemotherapy. About 5 percent of all TB cases are MDR-TB that is resistant to isoniazid and rifampin, two main drugs used to treat the disease. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174637.php 2009-12-23
The report, recently published in the Annals of Surgery, illustrates the findings of the first Diabetes Surgery Summit (DSS), an international conference held at the Catholic University of Rome, Italy, where more than 50 scientific and medical experts agreed on a set of guidelines and definitions to guide the use and study of gastrointestinal surgery to treat type 2 diabetes.

"This is very good news for people in Qatar and other Gulf countries where diabetes continues to be a major health concern," says Bakr Nour, MD, professor of surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar and vice chair of surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York. "It is estimated that 15 to 20% of GCC nationals suffer from diabetes, though many may be unaware that they have it. The disease rates continue to rise both in adults and children, and prevalence among Qatari children has doubled in the past 10 years." ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174596.php 2009-12-23
The team, led by Ryozo Nagai and Ichiro Manabe, showed that mice lacking Klf5 only in heart muscle cells mounted a normal response to conditions designed to mimic moderate increases in blood pressure, whereas mice lacking Klf5 only in fibroblasts in the heart failed to respond to such conditions. Surprisingly, mice lacking Klf5 only in fibroblasts in the heart developed more severe heart failure than normal mice and died when subjected to conditions designed to mimic extreme increases in blood pressure. The authors therefore conclude that fibroblasts in the heart have a central role in the response of the heart to changes in blood pressure and suggest that modulating their function might provide a way to treat individuals with heart failure. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174653.php 2009-12-23
Study findings are published in the December 2009 issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

"In the six centers implementing the new procedures, the number of patients screened for HIV jumped from 3,000 in the prior year to almost 11,000 - more than a three fold increase. Our results show that you can successfully implement routine HIV screening in primary care settings," said Janet J. Myers, PhD, MPH, assistant professor of medicine at the UCSF Center for AIDS Prevention Studies.

The research, conducted in partnership with the National Association of Community Health Centers, took place in community health centers in Mississippi, North Carolina and South Carolina. The national network of centers sees more than 20 million patients, of whom 90 percent are low income, half are rural with most of the rest in inner cities, and two-thirds are racial and ethnic minorities. HIV disproportionately affects health center patients; so increasing testing in these settings is a priority. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174102.php 2009-12-23
Chronic disease of the maxillary sinus (the sinus cavity located in the mid-face beneath the cheeks, on either side of the nose) is common and affects a wide population of adults and children, according to background information in the article. "Although the involvement of hypersensitivity mechanisms, and especially of nasal allergy, in chronic disease of the maxillary sinuses has been recognized, the diagnostic procedures for this disorder and the relationship vary," the author writes. "There is a dearth of information regarding the direct causal involvement of hypersensitivity mechanisms of the nasal mucosa and potential consequences within the maxillary sinuses." ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174508.php 2009-12-23
Earlier this year, researchers in Sweden proposed a provocative explanation: TB bacteria have the ability to turn into dormant, armor-plated spores. If true, the findings would provide promising new avenues of research in the worldwide fight against TB.

But a new study by researchers at Loyola University Health System and other centers casts doubt on the TB spore theory. Researchers were unable to detect spores in TB cultures and demonstrated that the TB bacterium doesn't even contain genes related to those needed to produce spores. Researchers also failed to find any spores in frogs infected with TB bacteria, which would have been expected if TB bacteria produced spores in the course of infection. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174633.php 2009-12-23
Now, however, a study published this week (Dec. 21) in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) suggests that a new compound, one on the threshold of final testing in humans, may be more potent and safer for treating "bird flu" than the antiviral drug best known by the trade name Tamiflu.

Known as T-705, the compound even works several days after infection, according to Yoshihiro Kawaoka, a University of Wisconsin-Madison virologist and the senior author of the new PNAS study.

"H5N1 virus is so pathogenic even Tamiflu doesn't protect all the infected animals," explains Kawaoka, a professor of pathobiological sciences at the UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine and a world authority on influenza. "This compound works much better, even three days after infection." ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174656.php 2009-12-23
Huntington's disease is caused by an expanded polyglutamine repeat in the protein Huntingtin (Htt), which causes the protein to aggregate and damage neurons. Ubiquitination and SUMOylation of Htt's N-terminal domain affect the protein's stability and toxicity, but other post-translational modifications in this region of the protein might be important as well.

Thompson et al. discovered that the inflammatory kinase IKK phosphorylates Htt, altering the complex pattern of SUMOylation, ubiquitination, and acetylation on neighboring lysine residues. The net result was to promote Htt's degradation by both the proteasome and lysosomes. Lysosome-mediated degradation of Htt was blocked by knocking down the autophagy proteins LAMP-2A and Atg7. Compared to wild type, mutant Htt with an expanded polyglutamine stretch was degraded inefficiently, but a version that mimicked IKK phosphorylation with negatively charged aspartate residues was still less toxic to neuronal slice cultures. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174612.php 2009-12-23
The Phase 1/2 protocol BDP-ENT-01 is designed as a multicenter, open-label, sequential, dose-escalation study in approximately 36 patients. Patients with rectal cancer who are scheduled to undergo concurrent radiation and chemotherapy prior to surgery will be enrolled in one of four escalating dose groups. The objectives of the study are to evaluate the safety and maximal tolerated dose of escalating doses of SGX201, as well as the preliminary efficacy of SGX201 for prevention of signs and symptoms of acute radiation enteritis. The study is expected to be completed in the first half of 2011. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174628.php 2009-12-23
"There is a gap in health care access for women ages 50-65 living in rural areas," said Kay Libbus, professor in the University of Missouri Sinclair School of Nursing. "These women are beyond child-bearing age, susceptible to developing chronic diseases and often retired or leaving the workforce - and these factors make it difficult to maintain health insurance or obtain new coverage. Rural communities are in need of interventions to address this issue." ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174103.php 2009-12-23
The ANF recently highlighted the rising trend of nurses coming under physical attack from drug and alcohol affected patients.

However Safe Work Australia do not intend to force employers to listen to nurse concerns. Other occupational health and safety issues affecting nurses include bullying, falls, physical and psychological injuries. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174186.php 2009-12-18
The Edelman Health Engagement Pulse-a new survey of 1,000 American adults-reveals a stark gap between how Americans want businesses to engage in health and what they believe is actually being done. Eight in 10 respondents believe it is important for business to share knowledge and innovations that improve health, and seven in 10 believe business should invest in creating healthy communities, yet only about one in 10 say business is doing an excellent or very good job of meeting these expectations. The study also showed that seven in 10 people believe it is important for business to help employees lead healthier lives. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174232.php 2009-12-18
The Families USA report, based on Congressional Budget Office data, also shows that, without health reform, 293,000 people in Georgia will lose health coverage by 2019. In 2007 and 2008, the average number of uninsured people in Georgia was 1,682,000, but that total will rise to 1,975,000 if the bill fails to pass. Nationally, the number of uninsured will reach 54 million in 2019 in the absence of comprehensive health reform.

"The consequences of inaction will be very severe for people in Georgia and across the country," said Ron Pollack, Executive Director of Families USA. "If the Senate fails to act, Americans will continue to struggle, and a growing number of them will face the devastating effects of going without coverage." ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174303.php 2009-12-18
MIRCERA (methoxy polyethylene glycol-epoetin beta), a PEGylated EPO, is a synthetic protein that helps the body produce red blood cells and used to treat anemia caused by kidney disease. The drug is manufactured by Hoffmann-La Roche and only available outside the U.S. due to an infringement upon Amgen's patents on recombinant EPO products and processes. In the past, EPOs have been used off-label as doping agents by athletes to enhance endurance in such sports as cycling, distance running, and rowing. WADA has banned the use of EPOs, such as MIRCERA, in all competitive sports. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174226.php 2009-12-18
"Obama's need to pass a reform bill ahead of the 2010 elections drove the political calculus as the calendar turned to December, when the days grew short and the pressure to sign something, anything, began to take precedence," Politico writes. "Otherwise, Democrats risked facing voters next fall with little to show for a full year of twin congressional majorities." The thing that may have most angered liberals, however, "is that Obama himself never seemed willing to push hard enough for the public option - and, in fact, all but took it off the table in August when he said he could sign a bill that didn't include it" (Gordon, 12/15). ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174293.php 2009-12-18
CNN: "Federal Investigators consider Miami to be ground zero for health care fraud. The inspector general found that 52 percent of all Medicare home health care expenses above $100,000 were in Miami-Dade County, while only 2 percent of Medicare home health care beneficiaries actually live in that county (Chernoff, 12/15).

The Wall Street Journal/Dow Jones: "The U.S. government has been cracking down on Medicare fraud this year, in part to make sure federal funds aren't being lost at a time of burgeoning deficits" (Miller, 12/15). ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174309.php 2009-12-18 ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174257.php 2009-12-18
States' responses to this grant announcement are due to CMS by February 16, 2010, and funds will be awarded in April 2010. The grant year runs from April 1, 2010 to March 31, 2011. SHIPs are eligible to receive base grant and supplemental funding, and performance-based awards from CMS.

These SHIP grants will strengthen the capabilities of States and US territories to support community-based, grassroots networks that provide personalized, one-on-one counseling, advocacy, education and outreach to assist people with Medicare with information, counseling and prescription drug and health plan enrollment. In FY 2009, SHIPs reached nearly 5.4 million people using local resources and other CMS information channels, including 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) and http://www.medicare.gov. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174341.php 2009-12-18
This issue also contains joint VA and Department of Defense clinical practice guidelines for mild TBI (mTBI). These guidelines include a screening tool and evaluation protocol for adult patients in any VA/DoD clinical setting at risk of a concussion/mTBI diagnosis.

The intent of these guidelines is to reduce current practice variation and to provide facilities with a structured framework to help improve patient outcomes. These guidelines are available as part of the journal or individually. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174133.php 2009-12-18
The finding in the study by researchers at the Broad Stem Cell Research Center involves a class of genes whose properties previously were thought to be unimportant for stem cell function. Most research has instead focused on genes that regulate a pluripotency network and genes that regulate differentiation of embryonic stem cells into other cell lineages.

The Broad center researchers focused on a third class of genes, those expressed only in defined cell types or tissues, which generally remain silent until long after embryonic stem cells have differentiated into specific cell lineages. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174334.php 2009-12-18
The World Malaria Report 2009 found that the increase in international funding commitments (US$ 1.7 billion in 2009 compared to US$ 730 million in 2006) had allowed a dramatic scale up of malaria control interventions in several countries, along with measurable reductions in malaria burden. However, the amounts available still fall short of the US$ 5 billion required annually to ensure high coverage and maximal impact worldwide. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174377.php 2009-12-18
This information was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with kind permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives and sign up for email delivery at kaiserhealthnews.org. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174285.php 2009-12-18
The clinical investigation is a prospective, open-label, randomized study to investigate the safety of TissuGlu and its effect on wound drainage and associated complications in abdominoplasty, or "tummy tuck," surgeries. The study will compare standard wound closure techniques to standard wound closure techniques plus the application of TissuGlu in 40 patients at three sites near Bonn, Frankfurt and Freiburg, Germany.

"We are delighted to have treated the first patient in the TissuGlu study," said Klaus Walgenbach, M.D., Ph.D., of the Universitatsklinikum Bonn and the principal investigator for the study. "We were very pleased with the procedure and look forward to enrolling more patients." ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174254.php 2009-12-18
All cancers are caused by mutations in the DNA of cancer cells which are acquired during a person's lifetime. The studies, of a malignant melanoma and a lung cancer, reveal for the first time essentially all the mutations in the genomes of two cancers.

Lung cancer causes around one million deaths worldwide each year: almost all are associated with smoking. The number of mutations found suggest that a typical smoker would acquire one mutation for every 15 cigarettes smoked.

Although malignant melanoma comprises only 3% of skin cancer cases, it is the cause of three out of four skin cancer deaths. The melanoma genome contained more than 30,000 mutations that carried a record of how and when they occurred during the patient's life. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174340.php 2009-12-18
"The opening of this office represents an important step as we re-design our product safety strategy. We, like our partners in the Mexican Government, realize that prevention is the key. For example, more than a third of the fresh fruits and vegetables we eat come from Mexico as do a large amount of our medical devices. Having FDA experts located permanently there will be mutually beneficial to both our countries and respective citizens," said U.S. FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D.

Staff assigned to the FDA's Mexico City post will work with their counterparts in the Mexican government to harmonize regulations and guidance standards and to work on other collaborative initiatives. These collaborations will include, for example, information-sharing on the respective regulatory systems and joint workshops on the safety of food and medical products. Agencies in both governments also will make efforts to find opportunities for joint training on food-borne illnesses and the oversight of food traded internationally. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174124.php 2009-12-18
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first generic versions of Aricept (donepezil hydrochloride) orally disintegrating tablet s on Dec. 11. Donepezil hydrochloride is indicated for the treatment of dementia related to Alzheimer's disease.

Orally disintegrating tablets dissolve on the tongue, without having to be swallowed whole. This may make it easier to take the medication for older or disabled patients who have difficulty swallowing.

"Generics offer greater access to health care for all Americans," said Gary Buehler, director of the FDA's Office of Generic Drugs. "Health care professionals and consumers can be assured that FDA-approved generic drugs have met the same rigorous standards as the brand-name drug and are the same as the branded in dosage form, safety, strength, route of administration, quality, performance characteristics and intended use." ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174173.php 2009-12-18
"In the late 70s and early 80s, medical teams attempted to remove these lesions during a single surgery, frequently encountering catastrophic episodes of brain swelling," said John C. Drummond, MD, professor and anesthesiologist at UC San Diego Medical Center. "Today, with a combination of embolization, the use of a medical coma, and staging shorter surgeries, patients experience consistently good outcomes."

The brain lesion, called an arteriovenous malformation (AVM), ranges in size from less than one to 10 centimeters in diameter. The defect can also occur in the spinal cord, and affects more than 300,000 Americans per year. While many patients show no signs of the abnormality, more than 10 percent experience debilitating symptoms. The untreated lesion can be fatal. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174329.php 2009-12-18
Serious health risks have been observed in pregnant women with H1N1, including the development of pneumonia, maternal death, spontaneous abortion, and preterm birth. Because of these risks, pregnant women have been targeted as a high risk group and encouraged to get the H1N1 vaccine. The CDC study will assess vaccine effectiveness and the impact of H1N1 and seasonal influenza infection in this target population. The study is designed to avoid interfering with the standard clinical care of patients. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174275.php 2009-12-18
Let Women Decide On Medical Tests Kaiser Health News
A careful reading of the guidelines says something quite different from the position that has caused such a flap (Shannon Brownlee and E. Dale Collins, 12/16).

Health reform and US immigrants Inquirer Global Nation
Would you wait five years for a doctor's appointment? If you are a legal immigrant living in the United States, you might have to (Jennifer Ng'andu, 12/16). ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174312.php 2009-12-18
These were the findings of a study by lead author Dr Edward McAuley, a professor of kinesiology and community health at the University of Illinois in Champaign, and colleagues, and appears in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine.

A person's self-efficacy is the belief they can attain a certain goal: an example of my self-efficacy would be that I believe I can climb several flights of stairs or jog around the block without stopping. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174252.php 2009-12-17
The study found that at least 14 states facing significant budget constraints were forced to turn away women who normally would qualify for no-cost mammograms and Pap tests. ACSCAN officials said that the number of women who are being rejected is not known and that some might receive screenings in other programs or through providers. Many providers also do not track the number of patients who have been rejected or obtained the screenings elsewhere.

According to the AP/Journal-Constitution, providers and health departments in each state have different methods for handling no-cost screenings. Some might supplement federal funding with money from the state or from private donors. The cost of the screenings also can vary from an average of about $100, while a Pap test can cost between $75 and $200, according to ACS (Bauman, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 12/12). ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174156.php 2009-12-17
The report, prepared by the ECRI Institute's Evidence-based Practice Center under contract to AHRQ's Effective Health Care Program, compares traditional surgical biopsies with various types of "core needle biopsies," which involve removing tissue through a special large hollow needle inserted through the skin.

The report, initiated in 2007, will provide important information so that doctors and patients can work together to make the best possible diagnostic choice for each individual patient. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174209.php 2009-12-17
LSCs are believed to be able to initiate and perpetuate AML while displaying resistance to standard chemotherapies. The ability to target these cells with therapeutic compounds may help improve patient outcomes. The poster's findings show that AR-42 preferentially targets LSCs compared to normal healthy cells. The research also suggests that AR-42 is active through a mechanism that differentiates it from other compounds with preclinical anti-LSC activity. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174217.php 2009-12-17
Septic shock, or sepsis, is a medical condition in which acute inflammation, low blood pressure, and blood clotting cause a dangerous decrease in the delivery of blood to the organs. Because of the lack of oxygen, the patient's organs start to fail, one after the other. Currently, only supportive treatment is available.

It is generally assumed that nitric oxide (NO) gas is responsible for the hypotension and cardiovascular collapse in septic shock. Therefore, a lot of medical research is focused on combating NO, which is also a messenger molecule in the body. Attempts to inhibit its production paradoxically led to a worsening of the organ damage and in an increased lethality, both in animal models and in a clinical trial in sepsis patients. This led to the assumption that NO also has positive effects in sepsis, but up to now NO remained a prime suspect for the pathogenesis of the cardiovascular shock. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174148.php 2009-12-17
The device and experiments using it were described in this week's online Early Edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The work, a collaboration with Seoul National University, represents an important advance for researchers who grow cells in the lab to learn more about cardiac disorders and possible remedies ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174191.php 2009-12-17
"UNITAID has committed to provide start-up funds of up to US$ 4 million over the next year," according to a UNITAID press release, which noted an annual savings of more than $1 billion a year is expected through the program. "This is an historic day," said Philippe Douste-Blazy, chair of UNITAID's executive board. "UNITAID has now put in place a mechanism that will make medical advances work for the poor, while compensating companies for sharing their technology" (12/14). ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174181.php 2009-12-17
"These studies show that a potentially protective neutralizing antibody against a viral disease is under the control of immunological tolerance," said Barton Haynes, M.D., director of the Center for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Immunology (CHAVI) at Duke University Medical Center and senior author of the study appearing in the online early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "This represents a new insight into the way HIV effectively evades detection by the B cell arm of the immune system and may offer new directions for vaccine design." ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174207.php 2009-12-17
To help fight this debilitating condition and combat its detrimental impact, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) is offering practical ways for sufferers to take an active role in the treatment of pain. The ASA wants to ensure patients are informed about their treatment options and is offering a series of tips to empower the patient as he/she works with a physician to treat the pain. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/174233.php 2009-12-17
"The 390,000 children in Florida who did not get medical check-ups in 2007 and the more than 750,000 who received no dental care that year are proof that this discrepancy in care is failing Florida's children," said pediatric cardiologist and Florida Pediatric Society Executive Vice President Louis St. Petery, MD, FAAP.

"Florida's Medicaid payment rates are among the lowest in the country, which explains why so few doctors in our state can afford to treat Medicaid patients," Dr. St. Petery stated. "Medicaid paid only $32 for a physician office visit in Florida in 2007, compared to $47 in Virginia, and the approximately $60 that Medicare pays for the same service in Florida." ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173825.php 2009-12-14
Opening the Technical Consultation, U.S. Ambassador Timothy J. Roemer said, "India and the U.S. are working together on initiatives spanning the full range of human endeavor including a Green Partnership to develop clean technologies, which will provide us all with an environmentally-sustainable, healthier future while creating job opportunities for the citizens of both our countries." ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173827.php 2009-12-14
Their study, published in the early online edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, was accomplished when the scientists applied the mathematical techniques used in physics to describe the complex interplay of genes and proteins that colonies of bacteria rely upon to initiate different survival strategies during times of environmental stress. Using the mathematical tools of theoretical physics and chemistry to describe complex biological systems is becoming more commonplace in the emerging field of theoretical biological physics. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173893.php 2009-12-14
According to council member Susan Wengraf, a co-sponsor of the measure that authorized Wednesday's mailings, the "coat hanger represents the time when women had to have abortions in back alleys and tried to self-abort." She added, "I don't want my granddaughter to go through what my grandmothers had to." Kriss Worthington, another council member and co-sponsor of the mailings, said his support for the move was prompted by outrage among his constituents. He said that he opted not to send the mailings to all representatives who oppose abortion rights because "nothing the city of Berkeley says to them will make any difference ]]> "http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173858.php 2009-12-14
"Excessive cytokine activity promotes cancer," says Dr. Gerardo Ferbeyre, senior author and a Universit� de Montr�al biochemistry professor. "Discovery of these mechanisms will enable scientists to design a cancer-prevention strategy for people with chronic inflammatory diseases and lead to better understanding of the human body's natural defenses against cancer." ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173886.php 2009-12-14
The findings was presented at the 32nd annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium on Saturday, Dec. 12 (Abstract 710).

Ian Krop, MD, PhD, principal investigator of the study, reported that the hybrid agent, called T-DM1, shrank tumors by 30 percent or more in 40 percent of women with confirmed HER2-positive cancers. Another 13 percent had stable disease for at least six months, for a total clinical benefit rate of approximately 53 percent. The median time before the disease progressed was 7.3 months, including both responders and non-responders. Patients received T-DM1 as long as it was effective and well-tolerated. A total of 110 women were enrolled in the study. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173890.php 2009-12-14
"Interestingly, in our initial efforts to determine the approximate solubility for subsequent solid-form screens on finasteride, we noticed unique recrystallization properties that prompted this study. We then set forth in generating, characterizing and investigating the solid-state behavior of three finasteride solvates," explained Nathan Schultheiss, PhD, Research Investigator at SSCI, a Division of Aptuit, and lead investigator of the published study. "Through our work, we gained unparalleled insight into the crystallographic and thermoanalytical behavior of the compound." ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173790.php 2009-12-14
Hepatitis C is a viral infection which causes swelling or inflammation of the liver. It is transmitted when the blood of an infected person mixes with a recipient's blood, such as via injecting drug use and the sharing of needles. Because hepatitis C infection is predominantly asymptomatic in the early years, many individuals remain undiagnosed until the disease has progressed. If the infection is diagnosed in the early stages, treatment can be offered that can clear the infection in more than half of those treated. However, some infections remain undiagnosed until end-stage liver disease is reached, when a transplant becomes the only real option.

It is estimated that currently around 185,000 individuals in the UK are chronically infected with hepatitis C (142,000 in England & Wales, 39,000 in Scotland and 4,000 in Northern Ireland); these individuals are at risk of developing serious liver disease. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173823.php 2009-12-14
Its recommendation is based on the committee's recently completed "futility" analysis of the data obtained from all patients enrolled for at least twelve months in these studies. That analysis included an assessment of both safety and efficacy parameters. It is the committee's opinion that there are no major or unexpected safety concerns and it unanimously recommends to proceed with the studies to evaluate the efficacy and safety profile of oral calcitonin as planned. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173789.php 2009-12-14
This international multicenter randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study compared the efficacy and safety of a single dose of acyclovir Lauriad� 50mg Mucoadhesive Buccal Tablet (MBT) versus matching placebo in 1727 randomized and 775 treated patients suffering from recurrent herpes labialis.

A single dose of acyclovir Lauriad� 50mg MBT significantly reduced the time to healing of primary vesicular lesion (p=0.043, primary endpoint). Secondary clinical endpoints showed the duration of episode from the first prodromal symptoms to healing to be significantly decreased (p=0.0062), the percentage of patients with abortive episode (episode not progressing to vesicular lesion) to be increased (p=0.045) and the duration of abortive episode to be reduced (p=0.042). ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173787.php 2009-12-14
For the study, published in the December issue of the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, researchers surveyed all Head Start programs in the country about practices related to healthy eating and physical activity.

Across the 1583 Head Start programs surveyed, researchers found:

* Seventy percent of programs were serving only non-fat or 1 percent milk, and 59 percent never served chocolate milk.

* Three-quarters of programs reported having children participate in at least 30 minutes of adult-led physical activity per day. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173290.php 2009-12-09
Ferrofluids are comprised of magnetic nanoparticles suspended throughout a liquid carrier. They have been used in industrial applications for years, including in hard disk drives and loudspeakers. Now a team led by Hur Koser, associate professor at the Yale School of Engineering & Applied Science, has developed a biocompatible ferrofluid - one with the right pH level and salinity so that human cells can survive in it for several hours - and has created a device with integrated electrodes that generate a magnetic field pattern, allowing them to manipulate and separate red blood cells, sickle cells and bacteria contained in this unique solution. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173293.php 2009-12-09
The team examined 241 single nucleotide polymorphisms - variations of a single DNA building block in a gene - in eight genes involved in the creation of micro RNA (miRNA), small bits of RNA that regulate genes, and 130 miRNA binding sites on host genes where miRNAs exert their effects on regulating gene expression.

"We focus on miRNA pathways because these small molecules regulate between one third and half of genes," said senior author Xifeng Wu, M.D., Ph.D., professor in M. D. Anderson's Department of Epidemiology in the Division of Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173271.php 2009-12-09
"Our study is the first intervention trial specifically designed to evaluate the efficacy of the selenium-based antioxidant compound on the risk of developing metachronous adenomas," said Luigina Bonelli, M.D., head of the unit of secondary prevention and screening at the National Institute for Cancer Research, in Genoa, Italy.

Bonelli presented these findings at the American Association for Cancer Research Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research Conference, held in Houston, Dec. 6-9, 2009.

Adenomatous polyps (or adenoma) are benign lesions of the large bowel that, in time, could progress to cancer. Even though only a small proportion of adenomas will develop into cancer, almost 70 percent to 80 percent of colorectal cancer stems from an adenoma. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173216.php 2009-12-09 The NPHS influenza surveillance scheme, which records reports of diagnoses of flu from more than 300 GP practices across Wales, shows that the rate of influenza consultation remains stable. Further detail can be found on the NPHS website.

The report from 3 December estimates there were 32.8 cases of a flu-like illness diagnosed by GPs out of every 100,000 people in Wales - this is the equivalent of 984 people in Wales contacting their GPs in the last seven days with flu like symptoms. Not all of these people will have swine flu and not everyone with flu like symptoms will contact their GP.

The report also shows levels of influenza activity in each county of Wales. On 3 December the rate of diagnosis of flu-like illness at a local level ranged from 12.1 per 100,000 people in Monmouthshire to 55.5 per 100,000 people in Carmarthenshire.

GPs are no longer being asked to swab people they suspect may have swine flu. Microbiology laboratories are therefore no longer testing mostpeople suspected of having swine flu. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173275.php 2009-12-09
There has been ample evidence that despite high and rising costs of health care in the U.S., quality is lagging, according to background information in the article. To stimulate improved quality and lower costs of ambulatory care for its beneficiaries, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has been overseeing a series of value-based purchasing initiatives, including programs designed to strengthen accountability among physicians participating in the Medicare program. However, it is unlikely that individual primary care physicians see enough eligible patients annually to generate statistically reliable measurements of physicians' quality and cost performance.

David J. Nyweide, Ph.D., of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Baltimore, and colleagues examined whether statistically meaningful differences on measures of quality and cost could be measured more reliably for primary care groups than for individual physicians. For the study, primary care physicians in the U.S. were linked to their physician practices using the Healthcare Organization Services database. Patients who visited primary care physicians in the 2005 Medicare Part B 20 percent sample were used to estimate Medicare caseloads per practice. Caseloads necessary to detect 10 percent relative differences in costs and quality were calculated using national average ambulatory Medicare spending, rates of mammography for women 66 to 69 years, and hemoglobin A1c testing for 66- to 75-year olds with diabetes, preventable hospitalization rate, and 30-day readmission rate after discharge for congestive heart failure (CHF). ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173083.php 2009-12-09
But, he suggests, that's not necessarily a bad thing. Health care costs are a problem that is not "amenable to a technical solution." That type of problem is meant to be "managed," rather than solved, Gawande writes, through a process of trial and error, and ongoing reform. Gawande compares health reform to agricultural reform. "At the start of the twentieth century, another indispensable but unmanageably costly sector was strangling the country: agriculture." The country was confronted with a fragmented, inefficient agricultural system that ignored evidence that could improve outcomes and consumed huge resources. But, "The United States did not seek a grand solution. Private farms remained, along with the considerable advantages of individual initiative. Still, government was enlisted to help millions of farmers change the way they worked. The approach succeeded almost shockingly well" (Gawande, 12/7). ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173233.php 2009-12-09
"Experts at the center will work with governments to help them introduce and enforce policies such as smoke-free public places and bans on tobacco advertising and sponsorship for sports and other events" (Kelland, 12/4).

"Tobacco use is the most preventable cause of illness and death," said Ala Alwan, WHO assistant director-general for noncommunicable diseases and mental health, the Daily Monitor/allAfrica.com reports. "It kills more than 5 million people per year. Unchecked, it will kill more than 8 million people per year by 2030, with more than 80% of those deaths occurring in developing countries," he said (12/6). ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173241.php 2009-12-09
Research conducted jointly by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Procter & Gamble (P&G) Oral Care has found that more than 9,000 genes - nearly 30 percent of the genes found in the human body - are expressed differently during the onset and healing process associated with gingivitis. Biological pathways associated with activation of the immune system were found to be the major pathways being activated and critical to controlling the body's reaction to plaque build-up on the teeth. Additionally, other gene expression pathways activated during plaque overgrowth include those involved in wound healing, neural processes and skin turnover.

Results of the study are published in the December 2009 edition of the Journal of Periodontology. This study is the first to successfully identify gene expression and biological pathways involved with the onset and healing process of gingivitis. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173283.php 2009-12-09
"Authorities say it's just another example of Medicare fraud from the county that accounts for more than $3 billion a year in false claims. In some cases, agencies have billed Medicare for home health services for homeless people. ... In many cases, authorities say Medicare is billed for services that are never provided. ... Almost 90 percent of U.S. patients receiving more than $100,000 for home health care live in Miami-Dade County" (Kennedy, 12/7). ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173234.php 2009-12-09
"During early adolescence and adulthood, the central nervous system displays considerable plasticity," said Pedersen, research professor of psychology at the USC College of Letters, Arts & Sciences. "Yet, the effect of exercise on cognition remains poorly understood."

Pedersen, lead author Maria �berg of the University of Gothenburg and the research team looked at data for all 1.2 million Swedish men born between 1950 and 1976 who enlisted for mandatory military service at the age of 18.

In every measure of cognitive functioning they analyzed - from verbal ability to logical performance to geometric perception to mechanical skills - average test scores increased according to aerobic fitness. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173267.php 2009-12-09
The initiative would lead to a number of "bizarre questions" -- such as whether rapists had the right to ensure their children are born or whether a woman who smokes and drinks while pregnant could face legal consequences, according to the editorial. It continues that initiative sponsor Christopher Kurka is on a "futile quest because abortion, with some limitations, is a constitutional right in the United States, and a state-level voter initiative can't override the U.S. Constitution." ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173252.php 2009-12-09
The word break is commonly used by lay (non-professional) people. Among health care professionals, especially bone specialists, such as orthopedic surgeons, break is a much less common term when talking about bones.

A crack (not only a break) in the bone is also known as a fracture. Fractures can occur in any bone in the body. There are several different ways in which a bone can fracture; for example a clean break to the bone that does not damage surrounding tissue or tear through the skin is known as a closed fracture or a simple fracture. On the other hand, one that damages surrounding skin or tissue is known as a compound fracture or an open fracture. Compound or open fractures are generally more serious than simple fractures, with a much higher risk of infection.

Most human bones are surprisingly strong and can generally stand up to fairly strong impacts or forces. However, if that force is too powerful, or there is something wrong with the bone, it can fracture. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173312.php 2009-12-09
Infants with severe T-cell lymphopenia (abnormally low level of white blood cells), including severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), often appear normal at birth and have no family history of immunodeficiency. "Consequently, many infants with severe T-cell deficiencies are not identified until life-threatening infections occur. This is an important issue because the long-term prognosis of infants with SCID and other serious immunodeficiencies is markedly improved if the diagnosis is made early, before the onset of serious infections," the authors write. They add that the administration of some vaccines that are recommended in early infancy can cause serious infection in infants with T-cell lymphopenia, which could be avoided with early detection.

John M. Routes, M.D., of the Medical College of Wisconsin and Children's Research Institute, Milwaukee, and colleagues conducted a study to examine if determining the number of T-cell receptor excision circles (TRECs) using DNA extracted from dried blood spots on newborn blood screening (NBS) cards could detect T-cell lymphopenia in newborn infants in a statewide screening program. Between January 1 and December 31, 2008, the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene screened all infants born in Wisconsin for T-cell lymphopenia by quantitating the number of TRECs contained in a portion of the NBS card, with the cut-off number being TREC values of less than 25/μL. T-cell lymphopenia was confirmed by further testing. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173082.php 2009-12-09
The researchers found that isolation and stress result in a 3.3-fold increase in the risk of developing cancer among rats with naturally occurring mammary tumors.

The research establishes, for the first time, that isolation and stress could be a factor in human breast cancer risk, said Martha McClintock, a psychologist at the University of Chicago and an author of a paper in current issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Researchers at the University have been studying social isolation in the context of breast cancer development after having found that many women living in high-crime neighborhoods must deal with a variety of stressors, including social isolation. In particular, African American women have been noted to have an earlier onset of breast cancer, although total incidence is similar to women from other ancestries. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173297.php 2009-12-09
"Coffee has effects on insulin and glucose metabolism as well as sex hormone levels, all of which play a role in prostate cancer. It was plausible that there may be an association between coffee and prostate cancer," said Kathryn M. Wilson, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow at the Channing Laboratory, Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health.

In a prospective investigation, Wilson and colleagues found that men who drank the most coffee had a 60 percent lower risk of aggressive prostate cancer than men who did not drink any coffee. This is the first study of its kind to look at both overall risk of prostate cancer and risk of localized, advanced and lethal disease. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173215.php 2009-12-09
Patients were divided into two populations: 73 evaluable patients with relapsed and/or refractory multiple myeloma who had not received prior bortezomib (Velcade�) treatment, classified as bortezomib-naive patients, and 33 evaluable patients with relapsed and/or refractory disease following bortezomib treatment, classified as bortezomib-treated patients.

Michael Wang, M.D., assistant professor, department of lymphoma and myeloma at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center and co-investigator of the study, reported that the bortezomib-naive patients when treated with carfilzomib achieved an overall response rate (ORR) of 46 percent in 54 evaluable patients at 20 mg/m2 and 53 percent in 19 evaluable patients with dose escalation to 27 mg/m2. Additionally, Dr. Wang reported interim results for secondary endpoints at the 20 mg/m2 dose, including time-to-progression (TTP) of 7.6 months and duration of response (DoR) of 8.4 months. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173206.php 2009-12-09
"Experimental data have shown benefits of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids in colorectal carcinogenesis, ranging from reduced tumor growth, suppression of angiogenesis and inhibition of metastasis," said Sangmi Kim, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, N.C. "Our finding of inverse association between dietary intakes of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids and distal large bowel cancer in white participants adds additional support to the hypothesis."

Although experimental and clinical data suggest that long-chain omega-3 fatty acids possess anti-neoplastic properties in the colon, epidemiologic data to date has been inconclusive. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173214.php 2009-12-09
The researchers analyzed the records of 118 children with sickle cell disease treated for any kind of flu at Hopkins Children's between September of 1993 and November of 2009. Of them, 28 were infected with the H1N1 virus, a new strain that emerged for the first time in April of 2009.

While both the seasonal flu and the H1N1 virus caused similar general symptoms like fever, cough and a runny nose in most of the children, sickle cell patients infected with H1N1 were three times more likely to develop acute chest syndrome, a leading cause of death among these patients, marked by inflammation of the lungs, reduced oxygen capacity and shortness of breath. H1N1-infected children were five times more likely to end up in the intensive-care unit, and were overall more likely to end up on a ventilator and more likely to need a blood transfusion than those with seasonal flu. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173298.php 2009-12-09
The two charities are together launching a �1.5million fund to support research into an issue that is affecting more and more people in the UK and internationally.

Dr Andrew Vallance-Owen, deputy chairman of the Bupa Foundation said:

"Dementia is a cruel condition which robs people of their memories - and in future more and more people will be living with the condition or be affected by it. �1.5m will make a real difference and help advance our knowledge of dementia."

The new fund aims to encourage partnership and collaboration between institutions to maximize expert involvement and to share knowledge and best practice. Researchers can apply for grants ranging from �100,000 to �750,000 and the fund is also open to applications from researchers in Australia, China, Denmark, Hong Kong, India, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Spain and Thailand, as well as the UK. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173274.php 2009-12-09
"We saw benefits at very attainable levels of activity," said Stacey A. Kenfield, Sc.D., epidemiology research associate at the Harvard School of Public Health and lead author of the study. "The results suggest that men with prostate cancer should do some physical activity for their overall health."

Researchers assessed physical activity levels for 2,686 patients enrolled in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, both before and after diagnosis (men with metastases at diagnosis were excluded). ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173212.php 2009-12-09
Dr. Robin Smith, M.D., MBA, NeoStem's Chief Executive Officer, said, "This week the National Institutes of Health approved the first 13 human embryonic stem cell lines for use in NIH-funded research so we are excited to share the news that there are actually adult stem cells that share many of the morphological characteristics of embryonic stem cells, removing risk of serious graft versus host disease or tissue rejection that can occur when the source of cells used for regenerative purposes is from a donor other than the patient receiving the stem cells. We are very proud that the significance of our very small embryonic-like stem cell research has been recognized by the prestigious American Society of Hematology. This is an important endorsement of the scientific advances that NeoStem is sponsoring in the field of adult stem cell research." ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173204.php 2009-12-09
In the study the researchers (affiliated with the General Practice Research Database, and London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine in the UK, and Utrecht University in the Netherlands) specifically examine the relative cost-effectiveness of two commonly used groups of painkillers: selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors (cox-2 inhibitors), versus conventional nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). One type of cox-2 inhibitor has now been withdrawn from use, and recommendations regarding the use of others have changed as a result of data on cardiovascular harms associated with these drugs. The researchers collected data on the risk of upper gastrointestinal effects associated with use of either type of drug, and calculated the cost-effectiveness of the drugs in relation to these events using either data from large randomized controlled trials or from routine clinical practice using the UK General Practice Research Database. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173180.php 2009-12-08
According to the National Sleep Foundation, almost six out of ten Americans report having insomnia and sleep problems at least a few nights a week. Other types of insomnia include sleep apnea, which involves interrupted breathing and snoring during the night; narcolepsy - which causes people to fall asleep throughout the daytime; insomnia from hormone fluctuations such as with menstruation or menopause; and insomnia from the use of medications, caffeine or alcohol.

Those who have restless leg syndrome experience unpleasant sensations in the legs described as creeping, crawling, tingling, pulling, or painful. These sensations usually occur in the calf area but may be felt anywhere from the thigh to the ankle. People with RLS often experience chronic insomnia and sleeplessness due to the strong urge to walk or do other activities to relieve the sensations in their legs. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173193.php 2009-12-08
The UK study, published in the December issue of the Journal of Public Health, is the first to examine how a wide range of early antisocial behaviours, as well as parental factors, affect various health outcomes 40 years later.

The study found that among boys who engaged at age 10 in antisocial behaviour such as regularly skipping school or being rated troublesome or dishonest by teachers and parents, and who then went on to be convicted of a crime by the age of 18, 16.3% (1 in 6) had died or become disabled by the age of 48. That compared with 2.6% (1 in 40) of the boys from the same lower socioeconomic South London neighbourhood who were not delinquent or offenders - an almost seven-fold difference.

"We were surprised to see such a strong link between these early influences and premature death and this indicates that things that happen in families at age 8-10 are part of a progression towards dying prematurely," said the study's leader, Professor Jonathan Shepherd, Director of the Violence and Society Research Group at Cardiff University in Wales. "It was also surprising that the increase was not limited to substance abuse or other mental health problems known to be linked with an antisocial lifestyle, but included premature death and disability from a wide variety of chronic illnesses such as heart disease, stroke, respiratory disease and cancer." ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173187.php 2009-12-08
Researchers say these findings, presented at the 2009 annual meeting of the American Epilepsy Society, represent concrete progress toward a mind-machine interface that may, one day, help people with a variety of disorders control devices, such as prosthetic arms and legs. These disorders include Lou Gehrig's disease and spinal cord injuries, among many others.

"Over 2 million people in the United States may benefit from assistive devices controlled by a brain-computer interface," says the study's lead investigator, neurologist Jerry Shih, M.D. "This study constitutes a baby step on the road toward that future, but it represents tangible progress in using brain waves to do certain tasks."

Dr. Shih and other Mayo Clinic researchers worked with Dean Krusienski, Ph.D., from the University of North Florida on this study, which was conducted in two patients with epilepsy. These patients were already being monitored for seizure activity using electrocorticography (ECoG), in which electrodes are placed directly on the surface of the brain to record electrical activity produced by the firing of nerve cells. This kind of procedure requires a craniotomy, a surgical incision into the skull. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173163.php 2009-12-08
The study looked at data from laboratory-confirmed cases of H1N1 between April 13 and June 20, 2009 in Ontario, Canada and performed 1000 simulations to estimate epidemiological parameters for the virus. These findings may be useful to policy-makers in managing the pandemic.

"Because the 2009 influenza pandemic continues to evolve, these values are critical for planning and can be used to reduce some of the uncertainty around the health burden likely to be associated with this disease in the coming months," writes Dr. David Fisman of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, and coauthors. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173194.php 2009-12-08
For some patients, standard stability-restoring procedures are ineffective.

"We've been looking at defects of the humeral head, which is the ball part of the shoulder, and the effects of those [defects] on recurrent instability following surgical repair," says Jon Sekiya, M.D., surgeon and associate professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. "We really looked at this bio-mechanically and we've been able to show that certain lesion sizes are at greater risk [for repeated dislocation]." ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173185.php 2009-12-08
Looking at 795 consecutive drivers with diabetes who reported to vehicle licensing authorities between January 1, 2005 to January 1, 2007, the authors found that one-in-fourteen had been involved in a crash. The mean HbA1c (a measure of diabetes control over about 8-12 weeks) was lower for those in a crash than those who were not. Hence, lower HbA1c levels were associated with an increased risk of a motor vehicle crash. In addition, the risk of a crash quadrupled when a driver had a history of severe hypoglycemia that required outside help. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173181.php 2009-12-08
"These findings open up the possibility of developing a relatively simple urine test that could detect OSA in snoring children. This would alleviate the need for costly and inconvenient sleep studies in children who snore, only about 20 to 30 percent of whom actually have OSA," said lead author David Gozal, M.D., professor and chairman of the pediatrics department at the University of Chicago. The study results are published in the December 15 issue of the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Dr. Gozal and researchers from University of Chicago and the University of Louisville studied 90 children who were referred to the sleep clinic to be evaluated for suspected sleep disordered breathing. They also recruited 30 healthy, non-snoring children from the community to serve as controls. The children all underwent standard overnight polysomnography and were categorized either as having OSA, habitual snoring or no sleep disordered breathing. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173177.php 2009-12-08
Meanwhile, The Washington Post reports on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's behind-the-scene efforts to advance the health reform measure. "As the Senate debate unfolds on the chamber floor, Reid has remained burrowed in his office, looking past the daily political drama playing out and, as he said recently, 'getting my deals done.'" Reid also "has been slow to tip his hand as he confronts uprisings from the left and right on major flashpoints, such as abortion coverage and a controversial public insurance plan." ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173124.php 2009-12-08
The good news is that leaders can use what researchers have learned about the brain to manage their own brains more effectively. That's the first 'brain advantage.' Just as important, leaders can use that knowledge to manage other people more effectively. That's the second 'brain advantage.'

The Brain Advantage: Become A More Effective Leader Using The Latest Brain Research (Prometheus Books, $19) combines the latest brain research with insights from psychological studies of how people think. It uses this information to show business leaders how to become even more effective decision-makers, communicators, and change-agents. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173140.php 2009-12-08
This information was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with kind permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives and sign up for email delivery at kaiserhealthnews.org. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173126.php 2009-12-08
Uterine fibroids are benign tumors of the uterus and are two to three times more common among black women than white women. They are the primary indication for hysterectomy in the U.S. and account for $2.2 billion annually in health care costs.

National surveys show that black women consume fewer servings of dairy than white women and have lower intake of calcium, magnesium and phosphorus. The causes of fibroids are poorly understood, but sex steroid hormones and growth factors are thought to play a role. The Slone researchers studied dairy products because of the possibility that they have antioxidant effects and may modify endogenous sex hormones.

The study was based on data from the Black Women's Health Study. The 59,000 study participants, enrolled in 1995, completed biennial questionnaires on which they reported whether they were diagnosed with fibroids. Their diet was assessed at two points in time using a modified version of the National Cancer Institute's Block short-form food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173153.php 2009-12-08
Researchers from the newly founded Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing in Cologne have studied whether health benefit stem from a reduction in specific nutrients or calorie intake in general by manipulating the diet of female fruit flies. The fruit flies were fed a diet of yeast, sugar and water, but with differing amounts of key nutrients, such as vitamins, lipids and amino acids. The scientists were able to show that longevity and fertility are affected by a combination of the type and amount of amino acids; whilst varying the amount of the other nutrients had little or no effect. Furthermore, the researchers found out in previous studies that levels of a particular amino acid - methionine - were crucial to increasing lifespan without decreasing fertility. By carefully manipulating the balance of amino acids, both lifespan and fertility were maximised. For the first time, this indicates that it is possible to extend lifespan without wholesale dietary restriction and without lowering reproductive capacity. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173152.php 2009-12-08
"Wouldn't one think that the largest killer of any single infection deserves better, newer tools?" asked Lee Reichman of the Global Tuberculosis Institute at the New Jersey Medical School. "In the pipeline are two experimental drugs and nine vaccines for TB, which the experts said would need funding to push into clinical trials," according to the news service (Ee Lyn, 12/3). ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173132.php 2009-12-08
The New York Times reports on the multiple socio-economic struggles of treating people at the Erie Family Health Center in Chicago. "Erie is among more than 1,200 federally qualified health centers nationwide, which care for about 20 million patients at 7,000 sites. The center is at the forefront of electronic record-keeping, which includes about 100 medical and financial measures, like tracking doctors' performances, doctor productivity and revenue per visit. It uses AmeriCorps volunteers to educate the community and employs 15 medical professionals, including a midwife and an H.I.V. specialist. ... Ultimately, Erie helps you understand the limits of the health care measures that Congress is wrangling over. There may be money for bricks-and-mortar expansion of such clinics and to encourage training of health professionals, but even with insurance, the economic stresses that contribute to poor health remain. Reform won't change poverty, inadequate housing or a lack of education. ... But clinics like this seem poised to be part of the overall solution" (Warren, 12/3). ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173130.php 2009-12-08
This is "CitiSense" - the vision of computer scientists from the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering. The interdisciplinary team recently won a $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to solve the many technical challenges that stand in the way of applications that merge the cyber and physical worlds. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173139.php 2009-12-08
The tax proposal has raised the ire of the cosmetic surgery industry. "Two leading companies in aesthetic treatments, Allergan Inc. and Medicis Pharmaceutical Corp., are mounting lobbying and public-relations campaigns against the proposed levy. ... [The Botax proposal] was a last-minute addition to the Senate health bill. It was aimed at plugging a revenue gap after Sen. Reid scaled back a planned levy on high-value insurance plans. The Botax would generate relatively modest revenue compared with other measures in the bill" (Rockoff, 12/4).

Related KHN story: Plastic Surgeons Cry Foul Over 'Botax' Proposal In Senate Health Bill (Galewitz, 11/19)

This information was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with kind permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives and sign up for email delivery at kaiserhealthnews.org. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173125.php 2009-12-08
The research, led by Scripps Research Associate Professor Jin-Quan Yu, was published November 26, 2009, in Science Express, an advance, online edition of the prestigious journal Science.

"This paper is a big jump forward," said Yu. "Our reaction is as simple as something you'd do in the kitchen. There are many fewer steps than the conventional method. There's less waste. In addition, everything you need is inexpensive and off-the-shelf - including common table salt." ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173157.php 2009-12-08
According to Foreign Policy, "These new, entrepreneurial players ... represent a chance to give a much-needed boost to the effectiveness of aid. They can take risks that governments cannot, breaking free from old orthodoxies and conventional wisdoms."

The article reports on Bill Gates, "the leader of the pack," and his work through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to fund "research into diseases that have been neglected by the drug market for their zero-profit potential; conditions such as malaria, HIV/AIDS, and tuberculosis are prevalent in impoverished regions where few can afford drugs or vaccines. Now, Gates is moving into agricultural research, poised to take on the global food crisis." ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173137.php 2009-12-08
The Associated Press: "In what was one of her first speeches to a large crowd since she was sworn in Nov. 3, Dr. Regina Benjamin noted that the proportion of U.S. physicians who are minorities is only 6 percent -- the same proportion as a century ago. ... The numbers come from a 2004 estimate of the percentage of U.S. physicians that are black or Hispanic. Blacks and Hispanics account for roughly 28 percent of the U.S. population, according to 2008 figures from the U.S. Census Bureau. In a 27-minute speech, Benjamin told health leaders in the audience to encourage young minorities to pursue careers in medicine or other ambitions" (Stobbe, 12/3).

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the speech was part of the Morehouse School of Medicine-sponsored Third Annual Conference on Health Disparities. The AJC writes that former HHS Secretary Dr. Louis Sullivan "praised Benjamin for her Bayou La Batre Rural Health Clinic, located in a tiny fishing village on the Alabama's Gulf Coast. She had treated many patients who cannot afford to pay her. After hurricanes and fires destroyed her clinic, Benjamin rebuilt it using her own credit cards, personal savings and donations. 'She makes house calls, she drives a pickup truck, and she accepts oysters and corn as payment,' Sullivan said. He added, 'She is only at the beginning of her career'" (Schneider, 12/3). ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173129.php 2009-12-08
Large-scale vaccination campaigns and routine immunization coverage have "prevented an estimated 4.3 million measles deaths in less than a decade, the group said." The report also showed that Southeast Asia, which includes India, Indonesia and Bangladesh, "lagged behind the global trend, with measles deaths falling only 46 percent between 2000 and 2008," Reuters writes (Kelland, 12/3). ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173133.php 2009-12-08
The British Veterinary Association's charity the Animal Welfare Foundation (AWF) is re-launching its 'Pets and Poisons' leaflet to draw attention to common household and garden substances that may seem innocent but which can be very dangerous to pets.

Many of the substances highlighted are found in the home during the Christmas period including raisins and sultanas used to make Christmas cakes and puddings, chocolate, liquorice and sweets which are often given as Christmas gifts, Blutack used to put up cards and decorations, and antifreeze, which is often used in the winter months.

Festive homes also contain additional hazards for pets such as electrical cables powering Christmas Tree lights, which could be very dangerous if chewed, and wrapping and bows from presents. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173059.php 2009-12-07
Beta 2 adrenergic agonist drugs as a class are widely used in obstetrics as tocolytics to inhibit or slow down labor and bronchodilators, but may act as functional and behavioral teratogens when given continuously in the mid to late second or early third trimesters. By correlating the basic science and clinical data, investigators observed that when given prenatally, these drugs can cause functional and behavioral disorders by permanently altering the balance of sympathetic and parasympathetic tone in the individual. Animal studies support the concept that in humans prenatal exposure to continuous high doses of beta 2 adrenergic agonists can permanently dysregulate signaling from the beta 2 adrenergic receptor. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173070.php 2009-12-07
The study also reveals that nearly 4 in 10 (39%) Primary Care Trusts in England have no current plan (pathway) to deal with a TB outbreak.

The report, by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Global TB, the British Thoracic Society, TB Alert and the Royal College of Nursing is launched as the provisional number of TB cases in England has reached 7,998 cases (2008) - an increase of 2% on the previous year (there were 7,837 cases in 2007).

Separate data, released at the British Thoracic Society Winter Meeting, also shows that Manchester has shown a three fold increase in TB cases since 1996. Other cities and areas with higher rates of TB include: London, Leeds, Leicester and West Midlands. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172944.php 2009-12-07
a.) One can improve the accuracy of an ultrasound diagnosis of a stone from 56% to 72% by looking for additional indications of obstruction such as the absence of ureteral jets and/or elevated resistive indices.

b.) Colic on the left is more commonly associated with stones (65% vs. 47%) likely due to the cushioning effects of the left colon.

c.) Ureteroscopy is safe and resolved the stone problem in 88% of patients. There was one ureteral perforation; holmium laser lithotripsy is preferred.

d.) As with other smaller studies, fortunately only 3% of the cases occurred during the first trimester. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173058.php 2009-12-07
"Bush severely restricted federal funding for human embryonic stem cell research because of moral objections to the destruction of human embryos to obtain the cells. Federally funded scientists were limited to studying 21 existing cell lines that many criticized as flawed and inadequate; had to erect cumbersome bureaucratic procedures to separate government-funded research from privately funded work; and were sometimes prevented from sharing ideas" (Stein, 12/3). ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173018.php 2009-12-07
Roland Roberts led a team of researchers from King's College London, UK, and was funded by the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign. The team made the discovery while studying α-dystrobrevin, a component of the dystrophin protein complex that is disordered in DMD. Roberts said, "Two previously unrecognized features (a gene switch or promoter and a novel binding site for the adaptor protein syntrophin) are encoded by the α-dystrobrevin gene of almost all four-legged animals except mice. We assume that this tardy recognition of key features of a gene that has been intensively studied since its discovery 13 years ago is due to the predominance of the mouse as the model organism for studying DMD and the specific destruction of these parts of the gene in the mouse". ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172995.php 2009-12-07
Louis Romano, Ph.D., professor of chemistry, and David Rueda, Ph.D., assistant professor of chemistry in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, were published in the Dec. 4, 2009 early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences for their observation. In addition, Thomas Christian, a former WSU chemistry graduate student who is now a postdoctoral associate at Yale University, played a key role in the study.

During DNA replication, DNA polymerase incorporates nucleotides into a DNA chain using the strand of the parental DNA as a template to produce two identical double-stranded product DNA molecules. To maintain proper function of the daughter cells, it is crucial that this process be carried out accurately, and the structure of DNA polymerases have evolved so that they only make a mistake once in ~100,000 nucleotides incorporated. An integral part of this process is the ability of most DNA polymerase to remove incorrectly incorporated nucleotides in a process referred to as proofreading. Rueda and Romano believe that they have identified a new step in the proofreading process that helps maintain the incredible accuracy of DNA replication. This process prevents mutations that can lead to potentially deadly diseases such as cancer. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172971.php 2009-12-07
The award, one of only three given nationally, provides $3.5 million over five years to Shiaw-Yih Lin, Ph.D., associate professor in M. D. Anderson's Department of Systems Biology, to study early defects that lead to breast cancer. The awards support outstanding early-career scientists with high potential for innovation in breast cancer.

Lin's research focuses on the DNA damage response, which detects defects in dividing cells and either repairs them, destroys the cell or deprives it of its ability to divide. The grant funds will be used to explore a crucial component of that process called replication stress response or RSR. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172917.php 2009-12-07
Shaheen Lakhan and Marie Rowland from the Global Neuroscience Initiative Foundation, Los Angeles, USA, searched for trials evaluating the cannabis extracts delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). According to Lakhan, "We found evidence that combined THC and CBD extracts may provide therapeutic benefit for MS spasticity symptoms".

Spasticity, involuntary muscle tension or contraction, is a common symptom of MS. Many existing therapies for this symptom are ineffective, difficult to obtain, or associated with intolerable side effects. In this study, reported incidence of side effects from cannabis, such as intoxication, varied greatly depending on the amount of cannabis needed to effectively limit spasticity, but the researchers note that side effects were also seen in the placebo groups. They add, "Considering the distress and limitations spasticity brings to individuals with MS, it is important to carefully weigh the potential for side effects with the potential for symptom relief ".

Lakhan concludes, "The therapeutic potential of cannabinoids in MS is comprehensive and should be given considerable attention". ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172994.php 2009-12-07
"A completely new way to beat bacteria is an exciting find at a time when resistance to existing antibiotics is growing," said Professor Tony Maxwell from the John Innes Centre, lead author on the research to be published in Science. JIC is an institute of the BBSRC.

The antibiotic molecule slots into pockets in the surface of a bacterial enzyme, DNA gyrase, and inhibits its activity. Gyrase is essential for bacteria to survive and grow. However, it is not present in humans so is an ideal, and already established, target for antibiotics.

"If you can knock out this enzyme, you have a potential new drug," says Prof Maxwell. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172996.php 2009-12-07
The results were published in the prestigious Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). The study involved 1.2 million Swedish men doing military service who were born between 1950 and 1976. The research group analysed the results of both physical and IQ tests when the men enrolled.

The study shows a clear link between good physical fitness and better results for the IQ test. The strongest links are for logical thinking and verbal comprehension. But it is only fitness that plays a role in the results for the IQ test, and not strength.

"Being fit means that you also have good heart and lung capacity and that your brain gets plenty of oxygen," says Michael Nilsson, professor at the Sahlgrenska Academy and chief physician at the Sahlgrenska University Hospital. "This may be one of the reasons why we can see a clear link with fitness, but not with muscular strength. We are also seeing that there are growth factors that are important." ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172894.php 2009-12-07
Worldwide, cervical cancer is the second most common malignant disease in women. It has the largest burden in developing countries. In 2002, there were nearly 500,000 new cases of cervical cancer and 270,000 deaths from the disease. Cervical cancer has important societal effects, since it affects women at a younger age than do most other cancers. Findings from several clinical studies have shown that the HPV-16/18 AS04-adjuvanted vaccine (Cervarix) induces a strong and sustained antibody response and has a good safety profile. The present study included the findings of an initial efficacy study started in 2001 and those of a long-term follow-up study in 2003. The results of the first study and two provisional analyses of the follow-up study have been reported earlier. At this point, the authors report the concluding analysis of the follow-up study. There is a total follow-up of up to 6.4 years after vaccination. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172969.php 2009-12-07
NIH has issued a Request for Applications (RFA) that will invest up to $50 million over five years to evaluate "seek and treat" in the criminal justice setting. NIDA's funding, along with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), will foster the development, implementation and testing of strategies to seek, test, and treat HIV-infected people within the criminal justice system. The RFA is open to applicants from outside the U.S. "Several mathematical models suggest that increasing access to HIV testing and treatment, particularly among high risk groups, could have a substantial beneficial impact - not only on individuals' health, but also on population infection rates," says NIDA Director Dr. Nora Volkow. "That's why we're investing substantial resources to determine the real-world impact of a 'seek, test, and treat' approach, because so many HIV-infected people pass through the criminal justice system every year." ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172931.php 2009-12-07
"Women in their 40s should begin getting mammograms whenever they want, members of a U.S. advisory group told a House hearing Wednesday, saying their 'poorly worded' recommendations last month had confused people," Bloomberg/The Boston Globe reports. Physicians with the USPSTF said "that they had not meant to suggest that screenings were unnecessary for patients in that age group. Instead, the physicians said, they meant that screening is more effective for those 50 to 74. Republicans had trumpeted the initial recommendations, issued Nov. 16, as evidence that the Democratic-sponsored healthcare overhaul would lead to rationing of medical care. And women whose cancers were detected by early screening objected that their lives could have been lost if the recommendations had existed earlier." But at the hearing, Democrats "said the proposed healthcare overhaul would expand coverage for women and promote use of scientific evidence in determining the best care" (Gaouette, 12/3). ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173015.php 2009-12-07
"These findings are significant because it is the first time a combination of specific chemicals has successfully destroyed diverse forms of amyloids at the same time," says Dr. Martin Duennwald of BBRI, who co-led the study with Dr. James Shorter of University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

For decades a major goal of neurological research has been finding a way to prevent the formation of and to break up and destroy amyloid plaques in the brains and nervous systems of people with Alzheimer's and other degenerative diseases before they wreak havoc. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172975.php 2009-12-07
According to Jack Sim, the founder of the World Toilet Organization, health advocates have been trying to encourage companies to invest in low-cost, portable toilets after aid groups' efforts didn't completely curb the problem and donations from the developed world were low. "Donated portable toilets would sometimes end up in storage, as the units were poorly distributed and villagers were not taught how to use and maintain them, Sim said. 'We've seen that the donor model doesn't work,' Sim said. 'Now people are taking the marketplace as the solution, because it works fastest when you have a profit motive.'"

AP/BusinessWeek writes: "K.E. Seetharam, director of the Institute of Water Policy at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore, estimated that just 22 percent of India's rural population and 29 percent of China's have access to working toilets." Seetharam said a lot of children in the developing world are malnourished "not because of a lack of food but because of worms in their intestines that they got from unsanitary conditions" (Kennedy, 12/2). ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173024.php 2009-12-07
"We confirmed lunasin's bioavailability in the human body by doing a third study in which men consumed 50 grams of soy protein--one soy milk shake and a serving of soy chili daily--for five days. Significant levels of the peptide in the participants' blood give us confidence that lunasin-rich soy foods can be important in providing these health benefits," said Elvira de Mejia, a U of I professor of food science and human nutrition.

In the cancer study, de Mejia's group identified a key sequence of amino acids--arginine, glycine, and aspartic acid, (the RGD motif)--that triggered the death of leukemia cells by activating a protein called caspase-3. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172901.php 2009-12-07
The Blue Cross, British Veterinary Association (BVA), BVA Animal Welfare Foundation (BVA AWF), Companion Animal Welfare Council (CAWC), Defra, Dogs Trust, Kennel Club, PDSA, RSPCA and the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare (UFAW) have signed up to a set of 10 practical guidelines to help prospective owners choose the right puppy for them.

The guidelines (listed below) have been drawn up by the Dog Breeding Stakeholder Group and are intended to ensure that owners fully understand the health and welfare needs of the dog they are purchasing and can check that the dog has received the appropriate medical care, socialisation and screening. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172962.php 2009-12-07
James Rutkowski, DMD, PhD, reported at the recent annual scientific meeting of the American Academy of Implant Dentistry that platelet-rich plasma therapy can accelerate bone and tissue growth and wound healing and help assure long-term success of dental implant placements.

"What could be better than using the body's own regenerative powers to grow bone and soft tissue safely and quickly? For dental implant procedures, PRP treatments can jump start bone growth and implant adherence in just two weeks, which cuts down the time between implant placement and affixing the permanent crown," said Rutkowski. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172992.php 2009-12-05
Modern Healthcare has the details: "Awards ranging from $10 million to $20 million each will be made in the form of 'cooperative agreements' to organizations that are already 'national leaders in the advancement of health IT, workflow redesign and care coordination, or quality monitoring and feedback'; that are advanced in EHR adoption and the use of health information exchange; and that have 'the readiness to incorporate health IT to advance community-level care coordination and quality monitoring and feedback.'" Eligible recipients include state and local government programs educational institutions, and some other nonprofit organizations (Conn, 12/2).

This information was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with kind permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives and sign up for email delivery at kaiserhealthnews.org. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173017.php 2009-12-05
"The UAM aims to leverage the world's love affair with the beautiful game towards forming alliances with football players, their teams, sport officials, governments and fans, towards the goal of ending malaria in Africa. The 2010 Soccer World Cup, which will be held in Africa for the first time, presents a solid opportunity for raising mass awareness of - and taking action against - malaria," Inter Press Service reports in an article examining the campaign. Herve Verhoosel - external relations manager for the Roll Back Malaria Partnership, which helped found UAM - said, "Ninety percent of all global malaria-related deaths occur in Africa, and of that, 85 percent are children under the age of five" (Bamjee-Mayet ,12/2).

Christina Vilupti-Barrineau, UAM's campaign manager, said, "2010 is the year of football in Africa and we want to use football to engage citizens about malaria," SAPA/IOL writes (12/2). Vilupti-Barrineau also said, "Football is religion. Footballers are heroes on this continent and across the world. When they speak, people will listen." ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173022.php 2009-12-05
The study looked at data from laboratory-confirmed cases of H1N1 between April 13 and June 20, 2009 in Ontario, Canada and performed 1000 simulations to estimate epidemiological parameters for the virus. These findings may be useful to policy-makers in managing the pandemic.

"Because the 2009 influenza pandemic continues to evolve, these values are critical for planning and can be used to reduce some of the uncertainty around the health burden likely to be associated with this disease in the coming months," writes Dr. David Fisman of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, and coauthors. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173049.php 2009-12-05
The December issue of CEBP, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, is designed to provide researchers with the critical tools to conduct research directed to assisting decision-makers, such as those at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), with a comprehensive review of the most up-to-date research on tobacco use. The journal includes nine review articles by leading experts in the field and covers topics from clinical trail design to how to best assess toxicity levels in new tobacco products. Shields is lead investigator for a series of papers in the issue. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172950.php 2009-12-05
In addition to ramping up antiviral treatment, the agency advised physicians treating patients with suppressed immune systems who are not responding to Tamiflu be given the alternative antiviral, Relenza (12/2).

Also on Wednesday, the WHO announced an investigation into the Tamiflu-resistant cases of H1N1 in hospitals in Wales and the U.S. showed the virus had not spread among hospital workers and the community, the Canadian Press reports. "'We're confident in saying that at the moment it looks to be limited, but ... it's a question of continually monitoring,' said Charles Penn, an antiviral expert with the WHO's global influenza program. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173023.php 2009-12-05
The new integrated hybrid catheterization table offers head-to-toe tilting and side-to-side cradling to meet the needs of both interventionalists and surgeons during hybrid intervention. Combining the new table with the unparalleled patient access and coverage achieved by Toshiba's Infinix-i five-axis X-ray systems creates a best-in-class hybrid lab unmatched in the industry today.

Dr. John Cheatham, director, Cardiac Catheterization and Interventional Therapy, and Dr. Mark Galantowicz, chief, Cardiothoracic Surgery, both of The Heart Center of Nationwide Children's Hospital, are recognized for pioneering the hybrid approach to treat congenital heart conditions. Both physicians worked with Toshiba engineers to design the new table and evaluated the prototype to ensure it met their needs in a real-life hybrid setting. Today, Nationwide Children's is the first site with this hybrid catheterization table in use at its hybrid cath lab. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172935.php 2009-12-05
More research is needed before the therapy can be tested in patients, but the discovery in human colon cancer cell lines and mice with established human tumors suggests that the addition of a small molecule to the cancer drug Temozolomide disrupts repair mechanisms in a type of tumor cells that is highly resistant to treatment.

The discovery will be featured on the cover of December's Molecular Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172947.php 2009-12-05
PharmaSurgics' Managing Director, Margit Mahlapuu , said, "Entering Phase II development is an important milestone for the company. It follows a strong preclinical program and good safety and tolerability results from the Phase I trial. Current treatment options for preventing post-surgical adhesions are all based on physical barriers and have failed to meet the efficacy levels demanded by surgeons. PXL01 has the potential to deliver improved efficacy and to become the first anti-adhesion product on the market based on pharmaceutical properties." ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172977.php 2009-12-05
Complicated skin and soft tissue infections (cSSTIs) include those requiring surgical intervention or complicated by specific medical comorbidities such as kidney failure. SSTIs such as abscesses, necrotizing fasciitis, and myositis may be caused by a variety of infectious agents, usually several in combination. Staphylococcus aureus (including methicillin-resistant S. aureus, MRSA), group A streptococci, enteric gram-negative bacilli, and Clostridium species are common pathogens. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172900.php 2009-12-05
This information was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with kind permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives and sign up for email delivery at kaiserhealthnews.org. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/173008.php 2009-12-05
In the complete response letter, the FDA has requested information from Endo to address the agency's concerns regarding very rare but serious adverse events, including post-injection anaphylactic reaction and pulmonary oil microembolism. The letter also specified that the proposed Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) is not sufficient.

Endo is currently evaluating the FDA's complete response letter. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172976.php 2009-12-05
Changes in the brain's white matter are common among the elderly and dementia patients, and often appear as blurred patches on CT and MRI images.

"A likely explanation for the changes is that the small blood vessels that supply the white matter are not working as they should," says Michael Jonsson, PhD-student at the Sahlgrenska Academy and consultant psychiatrist at Sahlgrenska University Hospital's memory clinic. "This results in that the long nerve fibres and their fatty sheaths degenerate." ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172895.php 2009-12-05
PSA levels in a prostate cancer patient are monitored after a patient's treatments, and after a successful course of EBRT the levels should decline gradually over the following 18 to 24 months. A continued rise in PSA can indicate relapsing disease. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172871.php 2009-12-04
"Most cancer survivors are counseled to quit smoking; despite this, many still smoke. In our study, 21 percent continued to smoke even after their cancer diagnosis, increasing their risk of death," said researcher Susan T. Mayne, Ph.D. "Similarly, we found that continued drinking increases the risk of death." ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172877.php 2009-12-04
The nervous system is divided into the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord) and the peripheral nervous system (sensory organs, muscles, and glands). A major difference between the systems is that each has its own type of glial cells. In a healthy body, glial cells are tightly segregated and aren't known to travel between the two systems. The peripheral nervous system also regenerates more than the central nervous system, due in part to its glial cells - a characteristic that, if better understood, might be used to improve the regenerative capabilities of the central nervous system. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172743.php 2009-12-04
New case reports will be presented at this year's Congress, with the latest evidence highlighting the role of this new technology.

Now, with such rapid development in imaging techniques, it is likely that non-invasive imaging will gain more importance in clinical cardiology - and probable also that these more accurate tests will revolutionise the diagnostics of cardiac diseases in the near future. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172853.php 2009-12-04
This information was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with kind permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives and sign up for email delivery at kaiserhealthnews.org. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172829.php 2009-12-04
"This provides one more reason not to smoke, or to quit as soon as possible," said senior author Michael J. Thun, M.D., M.S., vice president emeritus, epidemiology and surveillance research at the American Cancer Society. "Colorectal cancer should be added to the list of cancers caused by smoking."

Findings are published in the December issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, as part of a special focus on tobacco.

Thun and colleagues tested the association between long-term cigarette smoking and colorectal cancer after adjusting for multiple other factors that are generally associated with risk, including screening. From 1992 through 2005 the researchers followed almost 185,000 participants aged 50 to 74 years old; participants described their behaviors and medical conditions. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172888.php 2009-12-04
Although long-term follow-up is needed, the reduction in shingles among vaccinated children raises the possibility that chickenpox vaccination will lead to a lower risk of shingles in adulthood as well. The lead author is Dr. Rachel Civen of the Los Angeles County Public Health Department. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172812.php 2009-12-04 In an article that examines larger aid-related questions and themes, the Independent explores the effects of the Band Aid campaign in Ethiopia 25 years after it first attempted to help famine victims in the country. Band Aid's "Bob Geldof [recently] went back to Africa to see how millions of lives have been transformed" by the campaign, reports the newspaper. Still, "[t]here are those who have said that Band Aid, and everything that sprang from it, was a waste of time. More than two decades on and millions of people in Ethiopia and across East Africa are again facing severe food and water shortages after three years of poor rains," according to the newspaper. The article includes an interview with the Ethiopian prime minister and locals who received assistance through Band Aid (Vallely, 12/2). ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172851.php 2009-12-04
Hemiplegic cerebral palsy affects one arm and leg on the same side of the body. CIMT forces the use of the affected side, specifically the upper extremity, by gently restraining the unaffected side in a mitt, sling, or cast. The patient then practices moving the affected arm for varying durations of time and intensity. Previous studies showed support for the use of CIMT to improve the frequency of use of the affected arm for children with hemiplegia. In most studies, positive effects were demonstrated 6 to 8 months after intervention. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172693.php 2009-12-04
Boston Herald: "Six community hospitals will formally file a lawsuit against the state today, ratcheting up a dispute between the hospitals and the state agency that pays for some of the care they provide. Some three years after Massachusetts' ambitious health-care reform effort required all residents to have health insurance, the hospitals that serve the state's poorest residents say the state's below-market reimbursement rates are pushing them to the brink of financial ruin. Michael Collins, chief executive at Merrimack Valley Hospital, one of the six hospitals, said, 'The community hospitals involved in this lawsuit are unfairly bearing the cost of health-care reform'" (McConville, 12/1).

Cape Cod Times: "Cape Cod Hospital is one of six community hospitals in Massachusetts participating in a lawsuit against the state Executive Office of Health and Human Services, which is headed by Dr. JudyAnn Bigby. Bigby spokeswoman Jennifer Kritz said officials from her office couldn't comment on the lawsuit but had recently increased state payments to affected hospitals. 'We are confident that the state's actions comply with all applicable law and will be upheld,' she wrote." Cape Cod Hospital, says it lost $17 million over the last three years treating poor patients (McCormick, 12/1). ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172691.php 2009-12-04
The study, conducted with colleagues at Yale University and published Dec. 1 in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, found that patients whose immune systems responded to the stress of surgery by mobilizing large numbers of pathogen-fighting cells and redistributing them to skin and other tissues recovered more quickly and completely than those patients whose immune system showed little or no reaction. The researchers also found that men were more likely than women to mount the beneficial stress response and recover more fully. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172757.php 2009-12-04
Providing pharmaceutical and medical supply chain services to more than one-third of all hospitals nationwide, Cardinal Health was recently ranked by AMR Research as one of the top three global companies for enabling supply chain innovation within the health care industry[1]. With the recent spin off of its medical device businesses, Cardinal Health is re-focused on improving the cost effectiveness of health care by helping customers improve safety, workflow and cost containment. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172712.php 2009-12-04
The amendment is intended to address coverage of mammograms for women, including those younger than age 50. The age at which women should begin breast cancer screening has been a focus of debate since the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force's release of new guidelines that recommend against routine mammograms in women younger than age 50. Mikulski said the amendment does not "mandate that you have a mammogram at age 40, but if your doctor says you need one, my amendment says you are going to get one."

The measure also is intended to guarantee screenings for a range of preventive services, from postpartum depression to tests for diabetes and heart disease, the Times reports. Mikulski said the measure would cost the federal government about $1 billion over 10 years. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172702.php 2009-12-04
One group that is harder to pin down is doctors. Roll Call reports in a separate story: The American Medical Association lent support to House Democrats as they were passing their bill, but that lobbying group only represents some physicians: "parochial concerns and broader ideological differences remain over how health care reform should be accomplished." Some state physician groups have come out against the bills (Roth, 11/30). ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172685.php 2009-12-04
The Denver Post: "Requiring nearly everyone to buy insurance - pushing Americans toward preventive care at doctors' offices instead of more expensive care at emergency rooms - would cut costs long term, some argue. But whether there is much else in the national legislation to rein in the soaring cost of medical treatment is a major point of contention." The Post takes a look at five "key reforms" that some say could cut costs: The public option, taxes on expensive health insurance plans, so-called "certificates of need" that limit hospital acquisitions, payment reform such as "bundling payments," and increased transparency in health care pricing all make the list. Not surprisingly, each also has a share of critics and skeptics (Brown, 12/1). ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172681.php 2009-12-04
"I was surprised by the findings because the widely held assumption is that people are using their profiles to promote an enhanced impression of themselves," says Gosling of the more than 700 million people worldwide who have online profiles. "In fact, our findings suggest that online social networking profiles convey rather accurate images of the profile owners, either because people aren't trying to look good or because they are trying and failing to pull it off. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172725.php 2009-12-04
"Millions of unemployed Americans face the prospect of a huge increase in health insurance costs, thanks to the looming expiration of a government subsidy," The Los Angeles Times reports. "The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, passed in February, launched a temporary government program to subsidize the often crippling cost of buying health insurance through a former employer's plan after a layoff. However, the so-called COBRA subsidy was designed to last no more than nine months for each person who was unemployed. Hundreds of thousands who got this subsidy when it was first made available in March are slated to roll off the program today."

Without an extension of the subsidy, "hundreds of thousands will lose the subsidy each month, forcing them to pay health insurance premiums that are three times higher than what they're currently paying." A spokesman for the Obama administration says the White House wants to extend the subsidies, and "some Democratic lawmakers are pushing to include an extension in legislation that party leaders are developing to boost job growth. But finding money for an extension remains a major challenge, especially at a time when Democrats are struggling to pay for their planned healthcare overhaul. The stimulus bill committed $25 billion for just nine months of COBRA subsidies" (Kristof, 11/30). ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172688.php 2009-12-04
Both studies were led by Constance D Lehman, professor and vice chair of radiology at the University of Washington and director of imaging at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, who presented the findings on Wednesday at the 95th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), that is taking place from Nov 29 to Dec 4, in Chicago.

Lehman said that high-quality breast ultrasound is a safe, effective and less expensive alternative to invasive biopsies in young women. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172819.php 2009-12-04
'This is actually what is intended,' Professor Alexander Pfeifer from the Bonn PharmaCentre explains. 'Brown fat acts like a natural heating system.' For example, babies would get cold very quickly without this mechanism. Up to now, it was thought that brown fat only occurred in newborn babies and was lost with age. However, this year different groups were able to show that this is not true: even adults have a deposit of brown fat in the neck area. But with very overweight people this deposit is only moderately active or is completely absent. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172736.php 2009-12-04
But should we really be trying to teach self-control? Psychologists are beginning to raise these questions, and some are even suggesting that it may be detrimental to the developing brain to push it toward maturity too soon. University of Pennsylvania neuropsychologist Sharon Thompson-Schill and her colleagues study a region of the brain called the prefrontal cortex, or PFC, the part of the brain that filters out irrelevant information and allows us to focus. It is also the last part of the brain to mature and become fully functional. It lags behind the rest of the brain until about age four. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172718.php 2009-12-04
Attorney General Dan Sullivan (R) issued an opinion saying the initiative would not make abortion illegal, though he suggested that the measure include a disclaimer stating that it "would not amend or repeal existing state law regulating abortion, but could impact some areas of the law, including criminal law, to extend rights and protections prior to birth." According to the Daily News, Lt. Gov. Craig Campbell (R) added that language to the measure before certifying it. ]]> http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/172707.php 2009-12-04