Medical Devices
The recession is taking a toll on the hospital industry as "cash-strapped patients are skipping visits and under-compensated cases are increasing," Forbes reports. "As a result, a pattern of cost-cutting has emerged as hospitals have tried not to sacrifice quality, access and safety." In addition, "There has also been the elimination of entire departments as well as often subsidized services like mental health. Such cuts, which can translate into longer wait times, less up-to-date technology and fewer services, are bound to affect patients."
Taiwan
Ohio students who participate in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District"s comprehensive sex education program show more knowledge and better attitudes toward safer-sex practices than students who do not participate, according to a study released Tuesday by Philliber Research Associates, the AP/Dayton Daily News reports. The school district uses a graduated sex education program for students in kindergarten through 12th grade. The program begins with instruction about the human body and inappropriate touching and progresses to discussions about sexually transmitted infections and relationships. The study, which was funded by the AIDS Funding Collaborative in Cleveland, found that more than 75% of parents of children in kindergarten through sixth grade approved of the program.The Collaborative for Comprehensive School Age Health, a coalition of northeast Ohio organizations that opposes abstinence-only sex education, said that the report validates the effectiveness of the city"s program. The study"s release coincides with advocates" efforts against two other sex education-related measures under consideration in the state budget plan. According to the AP/Daily News, the Republican-controlled state Senate wants to require the state Department of Education to apply for federal abstinence-only education funding. The state Senate also wants Ohio to continue to require legislative approval before any changes can be made in health education, although Gov. Ted Strickland (D) and the Democrat-controlled House want to change these requirements, the AP/Daily News reports (AP/Dayton Daily News, 6/23).
In an article published in the June 25th edition of the journal Neuron, researchers at the Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, have found that synaptic plasticity, long implicated as a device for "change" in the brain, may also be essential for stability.
Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) President and CEO Jim Greenwood issued the following statement regarding the letter sent yesterday from the Obama Administration to House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman regarding biosimilars:
Childhood physical abuse is associated with elevated rates of cancer in adulthood, according to a new study by University of Toronto researchers.
"The details of President Obama"s new global health initiative have left many concerned that the financing described does not reflect the commitment required to lead the United States" efforts in the global fight against HIV and AIDS," Jennifer Delaney, executive director of Global Action for Children, writes in a New York Times letter to the editor. She adds that the Obama administration "needs to recognize that we cannot afford to scrimp on global health -- the cost of failure is too high. Our inaction threatens to forsake the more than 15 million children orphaned by AIDS, future parents and leaders of our world."As Eric Goosby, the recently nominated Global AIDS Coordinator, "begins his work in Washington, he faces serious obstacles to securing the full financing Congress has authorized to combat HIV and AIDS -- the financing our moral obligations demand," Delaney writes. She concludes, "We expect Dr. Goosby to be a fierce advocate for lifesaving HIV/AIDS and children"s programs. He can expect our tireless support in return" (Delaney, New York Times, 5/17).
Today the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) announced outstanding new commitments to cancer control from European nations including Belgium, England, Germany, Ireland and Italy as part of the LIVESTRONG Global Cancer Campaign, an initiative to address the global cancer burden. The European commitments feature ambitious goals ranging from creating a national cancer plan to addressing disparities in treatment for cancer survivors to establishing an academy devoted entirely to cancer to improvements for breast health services, among others.
Researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have identified a protein that marks the tumor suppressor p53 for destruction, providing a potential new avenue for restoring p53 in cancer cells.
UroToday.com - Prostate and breast cancer appear to be homologous cancer in males and females respectively. Both cancers share hormone etiologies and are treated with hormonal manipulation. The incidence of these two hormone-dependent cancers has steadily risen throughout the twentieth century. Both cancers have race-based links: there is a higher incidence of prostate cancer in African-American men than Caucasian men followed by Asian men and under the age of forty, breast cancer is more lethal in African-American women than Caucasian women and Asian women[1-2] . Beyond genetic and cultural explanations for these differences, an alternative environmental hormone disruptor may be at play as follows.
Pope Benedict XVI has agreed to meet with President Obama at the Vatican on July 10, according to White House spokesperson Robert Gibbs, the AP/Boston Globe reports. The Rev. Federico Lombardi, a Vatican spokesperson, on Wednesday said that the pope will hold an afternoon meeting with the president and first lady Michelle Obama after the conclusion of the Group of Eight industrialized nations summit meeting, a break with a Vatican tradition of holding midday meetings. The AP/Globe reports that the Vatican "clearly sought to accommodate" the president"s schedule, an indication that Benedict is interested in meeting with Obama despite his support for abortion rights and embryonic stem cell research.Some U.S. bishops have publicly attacked Obama"s support of abortion rights and embryonic stem cell research, which has fueled anticipation of a meeting between the president and the pope. Most recently, dozens of bishops denounced the University of Notre Dame"s decision to invite Obama to deliver its commencement address and receive an honorary degree. However, L"Osservatore Romano, the Vatican"s daily newspaper, said that Obama"s speech showed that he is looking for common ground on issues related to abortion. Obama also received a positive review from the newspaper after his first 100 days in office. An editorial in the paper said that Obama had not confirmed the "radical" direction on ethical questions he had discussed as a candidate (Simpson, AP/Boston Globe, 6/24).
The Associated Press/Washington Post reported that U.S. health officials on Thursday said they believe as many as 1 million Americans have been infected with H1N1 and "6 percent or more of some urban populations are infected." The estimates were based upon survey data collected by health officials and mathematical modeling.
Many people who test positive for HIV are diagnosed late in the course of their infection when treatment might be less effective, according to a report published Thursday in CDC"s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Reuters Health reports. The report looked at data on people who were diagnosed with HIV from 1996 to 2005 and found that 45 percent had developed AIDS within three years of their initial HIV diagnosis, 38.3 percent within one year and an additional 6.7 percent within the next two years (Reuters Health 6/25). R. Luke Shouse of CDC"s Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention in the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention, said, "This means that they may have unknowingly transmitted HIV. It also means that there is a time when they had HIV when they were not under appropriate medical care, so there are missed opportunities for prevention and care." A separate CDC report also published yesterday found that 22.3 percent of high school students who are sexually active and 12.9 percent of all students have been tested for HIV (Reinberg, HealthDay/KATC.com, 6/25).
An emergency rule intended to reduce the number of deaths and injuries associated with Hawaiian air tours was followed by a 47 percent reduction in sightseeing crashes, according to a new study by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health"s Center for Injury Research and Policy.
Hot or not? Men agree on the answer. Women don"t.
Alcohol"s inebriating effects are familiar to everyone. But the molecular details of alcohol"s impact on brain activity remain a mystery. A new study by researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies brings us closer to understanding how alcohol alters the way brain cells work.
Transferring heart attack patients to specialized hospitals to undergo angioplasty within six hours after receiving clot-busting drugs reduces the risk of life-threatening complications, according to a Canadian-led study published today. The findings, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, suggest that routine early transfer of patients after clot-busting drugs are administered results in significantly better outcomes than the current practice of transferring patients only when the clot-busting drugs fail.
The national aortic screening programme in the UK should, in due course, prevent about half of all aneurysm deaths in men over 65 and will be extremely cost effective for the NHS, conclude researchers in a study published on bmj.com. However a second study, also published today, concludes that screening is not cost effective and calls for additional research into the long term outcomes and costs of screening.
Health and social care services are overlooking the long-term physical and emotional effects of cancer survivors, leaving many of the two million people living with or beyond the disease in the UK suffering alone and in silence. According to Macmillan Cancer Support, cancer survivors are suffering needlessly and in silence: overlooked by health and social care services that frequently miss the long-term physical and emotional effects of the disease.
Less than one-half of one percent (0.4%) of the 22 million people in the U.S. who are medically eligible for bariatric surgery actually get the surgery, and those who do are most likely to be white females with higher incomes and covered by private health insurance, according to a new study presented here at the 26th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS).
A nationwide public opinion poll conducted by Hamilton Lock for the British Medical Association released has revealed how worried the public is about future funding of the health service in light of the recession.
Gilead Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq:GILD) announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP), the scientific committee of the European Medicines Agency, has adopted a positive opinion on the company"s Marketing Authorisation Application for aztreonam lysine 75 mg powder and solvent for nebuliser solution (aztreonam lysine) for the suppressive therapy of chronic pulmonary infections due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) aged 18 years and older. The opinion is for conditional approval, contingent on the successful completion of an ongoing study.
Diabetes patients who are hospitalized for non-critical illnesses, and develop hypoglycemia while hospitalized, are likely to remain hospitalized longer and face greater risk of mortality both during and after hospitalization, according to a study published in the July issue of Diabetes Care.
Frances E. Likis, DrPH, NP, CNM, of Nashville, TN, received the 2009 Kitty Ernst Award, one of the most prestigious honors awarded by the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM), during ACNM"s 54th Annual Meeting & Exposition in Seattle, WA.
In an unprecedented move today, millions of midwives, nurses and doctors across the world delivered a message to G8 leaders to take urgent action to prevent women dying needlessly in pregnancy and childbirth.
The recently released results of two large randomized trials suggest there are no big benefits from prostate cancer screening, and if
MVP® (Managed Ventricular Pacing), exclusive programming on Medtronic pacemakers, which is proven to be effective in reducing unnecessary pacing in pacemaker patients, was applied in the MVP Trial of implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) patients. Data from MVP trial, sponsored by Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT), were presented today as a late breaking clinical trial at Heart Rhythm 2009, the annual scientific sessions of the Heart Rhythm Society.
MedImmune continues to advance its commitment to pediatric research with today"s announcement of the first observational prospective study designed to assess the burden of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) among preterm infants 32-to-35 weeks gestational age (GA) in outpatient settings during their first year of life.
New data show that surgeons can use USGI Medical Inc."s (USGI) Incisionless Operating Platform(TM) (IOP) to durably reduce the size of the stomach pouch and stoma in Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB) patients who are regaining weight because this portion of their anatomy has stretched since their original surgery.
Preventative Treatment Against Malaria May be Less Effective in Malnourished Children
-- 17 confirmed cases in Wales, with 0 new cases.
Black gay men have less choice when it comes to sexual partners than other groups and, as a result, their sexual networks are closely knit. These tightly interconnected networks make the rapid spread of HIV more likely. In a study1) looking at social and sexual mixing between ethnic groups in men who have sex with men, H. Fisher Raymond and Willi McFarland, from the San Francisco Department of Public Health in the US, show that social barriers faced by Black gay men may have a serious impact on their health and well-being. Their findings are published in Springer"s journal AIDS and Behavior.
Analysis of the longest running ICSI programme in the United States has found reassuring evidence that babies born from frozen embryos fertilised via ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection) do just as well as those born from frozen embryos fertilised via standard IVF treatment.
A new test examining chromosomes in human eggs a few hours after fertilisation can identify those that are capable of forming a healthy baby, a researcher told the 25th annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. Dr. Elpida Fragouli, from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Oxford, UK, and Reprogenetics UK, said that her team"s work had already enabled seven ongoing pregnancies in a group of older women with a history of multiple failed IVF attempts.
Massachusetts-based Catholic hospital system Caritas Christi Health Care on Friday ended its joint venture with the Missouri-based health insurer Centene after Cardinal Sean O"Malley of the Archdiocese of Boston insisted that the relationship linked Catholic hospitals too closely to abortion providers, the AP/San Francisco Chronicle reports (AP/San Francisco Chronicle, 6/27). Under the joint venture, Caritas and Centene created a new company, CeltiCare, which would have insured thousands of low-income Massachusetts residents under Commonwealth Care, the state"s subsidized health care program. Financially troubled Caritas, which was founded by the Archdiocese of Boston, said it will continue to participate as a provider in Commonwealth Care but will no longer be a co-owner of the insurance venture with Centene. Caritas will provide care to patients covered by Centene, as it does for patients covered by other private insurers, but it will not provide any services that violate Catholic teachings, such as abortions or sterilizations. In terminating the joint venture, the archdiocese hopes to appease criticism that Caritas would have profited from abortion and other services provided at non-Catholic medical centers, the Boston Globe reports. According to the archdiocese, O"Malley sought the withdrawal after weeks of consultation with the church-affiliated think tank National Catholic Bioethics Center, in response to harsh criticism from antiabortion-rights groups for not blocking the agreement. The withdrawal is "a vindication of sorts" for O"Malley"s critics, who have argued that it would be wrong for Caritas to enter an agreement with a health insurer that covers abortion care, according to the Globe. Andrea Miller, the executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts, said that Caritas" involvement in the joint venture had raised concern from NARAL because of the Catholic Church"s opposition to abortion rights. She said that although Caritas has withdrawn from the venture, "[t]he question remains: Will the involvement of Caritas Christi health providers negatively affect women"s ability to get timely access to reproductive services, including birth control?" Miller added that NARAL hopes that state regulators "will continue due diligence to ensure that referrals and services are provided in a manner that does not delay access to reproductive health services" (Paulson/Lazar, Boston Globe, 6/27).
Americans with serious illnesses who must often choose between paying a mortgage or their health premiums and deductibles are often going broke, The Seattle Times reports.
A new study uncovers a molecular mechanism that explains why joints fail to develop in embryos with paralyzed limbs. The research, published by Cell Press in the May issue of the journal Developmental Cell, answers a longstanding question about the influence of muscle activity on developing joints and underscores the critical contribution of movement to regulation of a signaling pathway that is important during development and beyond.
The New York Times profiles the Comprehensive Disaster Relief Services (CDRS) hospital in Chikar, Pakistan, which was started by American Todd Shea after the 2005 earthquake in that country. The aspiring musician"s life was turned over to rescue efforts after September 11, when he used his van to "ferry meals to firefighters at Ground Zero," according to the New York Times.
OptumHealth Inc. announced that it is providing a free help line to people in West Virginia trying to cope with the emotional consequences of the recent floods that hit the region. Staffed by experienced master"s-level behavioral health specialists, the free help line offers assistance to callers seeking help in dealing with stress, anxiety and the grieving process. Callers may also receive referrals to a database of community res to help them with specific concerns, such as financial and legal issues.
President Obama on Saturday released a statement marking National HIV Testing Day that urged U.S. residents to get tested for HIV and work toward reducing the spread of the virus, Bloomberg/Arizona Daily Star reports (Bloomberg/Arizona Daily Star, 6/28). Obama said in the statement, "Each of us must take responsibility for reducing our risk of acquiring or transmitting HIV and for supporting affected individuals and communities. This means getting tested for HIV and working to end the stigma and discrimination people living with HIV face." The White House also released a video message with Obama"s statement (White House release, 6/27).
MicroRNAs are small RNA molecules of 20-25 nucleotides length, regulating gene expression by inhibition of transcription or translation of proteins. High levels of miR-196a, a microRNA suppressing the expression of specific homebox genes that are of high relevance for the development of the human embryo, activated oncogenic pathways inside human tumor cells and induced tumor cell dissemination. miR-196a increased the chemosensitivity towards platin derivatives such as cisplatin and oxaliplatin and might be a useful biomarker.
A powerful new research facility at the heart of King"s Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre has been launched by Professor Dame Sally C Davies, Director General of Research and Development and Chief Scientific Adviser, Department of Health. The Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) Nucleus is funded by a ÷£3M infrastructure grant from South London and Maudsley Charitable Funds (÷£1.8M) and Guy"s and St Thomas" Charity (÷£1.2M) to create a unique centre housing key translational initiatives to support the development of novel therapies and treatments for mental health and related disorders.
A special monograph of the British Journal of Educational Psychology , published this month, highlights the very latest psychological research into the teaching and learning of writing.
Findings from Universitçİ de Montrçİal"s Louis-H. Lafontaine Hospital-Fernand-Seguin Research Centre and McGill University Health Centre
Accredited Practising Dietitian and PhD student Janice Sangster has been awarded the Dietitians
Newly identified gene variants associated with the age at which females experience their first menstrual period and the onset of menopause may help shed light on the prevention of breast and endometrial cancer, osteoporosis, and cardiovascular disease.
Please help us protect people with neuromuscular diseases from the potentially harmful impact of the recently released House Tri-Committee healthcare reform proposal. The package eliminates the first month purchase option for all power wheelchairs.
Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) announced today a definitive agreement with Edwards Lifesciences Corporation (NYSE:EW) under which Baxter will acquire certain assets related to Edwards" hemofiltration product line, also known as Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy (CRRT). The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2009, pending regulatory approvals.
The current H1N1 swine flu strain has genetic roots in an illness that sickened pigs at the 1918 Cedar Rapids Swine Show in Iowa, report infectious disease experts at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health in the New England Journal of Medicine. Their paper, published online and slated for the July 16 print issue, describes H1N1"s nearly century-long and often convoluted journey, which may include the accidental resurrection of an extinct strain.
New data from an economic analysis presented today at this year"s European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) congress showed that, within the parameters of the simulation model used, the in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment MENOPUR (highly-purified human menopausal gonatropin or HP-hMG) offered considerable cost-savings over recombinant follicle stimulating hormone (rFSH).1 The cost-effectiveness of HP-hMG compared with rFSH suggested by this data could make it a more attractive choice for use in infertility treatment within a fixed healthcare budget.
The Body Benchmark Study was launched in March 2007, with the goal of developing the Body Volume Index (BVI) as a potential long-term replacement for the Body Mass Index (BMI) for the measurement of obesity and associated health risks. Now, the latest results in the ongoing research aimed at validating its use in a medical context are showing more accuracy than results from using a tape measure.
Lower extremity peripheral arterial disease (PAD) affects more than eight million Americans, with significant risks of limb loss, disability and death. Treatment of lower extremity PAD focuses on restoring normal blood supply to the affected limb. Traditional treatment, such as surgical bypass, is effective but invasive. In recent years, many patients have been treated with newer endovascular interventions, using catheter-based devices to reopen peripheral arteries in a less-invasive fashion. According to past research, it is unclear if these newer treatments are as effective as conventional surgical bypass in preventing amputation.
Croup is a common respiratory condition characterized by inflammation of the upper airways that often occurs in infants and children. The result is a swelling and narrowing of the larynx (voice box) and trachea (wind pipe) that results in a harsh, barking cough.
With temperatures predicted to soar this week, the UK"s longest established meningitis charity - the Meningitis Trust - is urging people to be aware of the signs and symptoms of the disease, as cases are known to peak during hot summers.
Applied Genetic Technologies Corporation (AGTC), a privately-held, clinical stage biotechnology company developing novel systems to deliver human therapeutics, announces that AGTC has entered into an agreement with the National Neurovision Research Institute (NNRI), the clinical trial support organization for the Foundation Fighting Blindness(FFB), to collaborate in experiments using the AAV delivery system in the treatment of two genetic retinal diseases known to cause blindness at an early age. The research will be coordinated by AGTC and will be conducted at The University of Florida, Oregon Health & Science University, The University of Pennsylvania, and The University of British Columbia.
BioSante Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: BPAX), which is developing a testosterone gel (LibiGel®) to treat hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) in women, is pleased to comment on results in a paper published in the July issue of The Journal of Sexual Medicine showing testosterone has no effect on the incidence of invasive breast cancer among menopausal women who use testosterone to improve sexual function.
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (Nasdaq: TEVA) and its partner, Antares Pharma, Inc. (NYSE Amex: AIS) announced the approval of a Supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA), which added "needle-free injection" to its Tev-Tropin® [somatropin (rDNA) for injection] brand human growth hormone (hGH) drug label. Teva will market the Antares needle-free device as the Tev-Tropin Tjet Injector system.
The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) and Allergy UK are offering the community pharmacy allergy screening service to members of the public attending the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show from 7 July to 12 July.
Boston Globe columnist Derrick Jackson examines why some Ugandans do not support indoor spraying of DDT to prevent malaria. Grace Kagoro, a biology professor and environmental researcher at Mbarara University of Science and Technology, is "nervous about adding what she said could be one more shock to the soil and water," according to Jackson.
Women who have a diminished number of eggs in their ovaries, either because they are older or for some other reason such as ovarian surgery, may be more at risk of a trisomic pregnancy than women with an ovarian reserve within the normal, fertile range.
Researchers have found evidence that chronic disease in either a mother or father can create unfavourable conditions in the womb that are associated with the development of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) in daughters. In another study, researchers found that brothers of women with PCOS and insulin resistance are themselves at greater risk of developing insulin resistance or diabetes, suggesting that factors associated with the condition can be passed down to sons as well as daughters.
A new report from the Institute of Medicine recommends 100 health topics that should get priority attention and funding from a new national research effort to identify which health care services work best. It also spells out actions and res needed to ensure that this comparative effectiveness research initiative will be a sustained effort with a continuous process for updating priorities as needed and that the results are put into clinical practice.
People with ankle injuries who do not respond successfully to initial treatment may have a second chance at recovery, thanks to two new procedures developed to restore the injured area, according to a study published in the July 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (JAAOS).
Though many consider teaching math to young children to be unnecessary or inappropriate at this stage in their educational development, research shows that as early as infancy, children start to think about the world in mathematical ways -- a capacity that currently goes largely untapped in the nation"s preschools. In addition, studies have linked early success in math to later success in both math and reading.
Tuberculosis (TB) is a difficult infection to treat and requires six months of multiple antibiotics to cure it. To combat the TB pandemic, a shorter and simpler drug treatment would be a huge advance since most TB occurs in re-limited settings with poor public health infrastructures.
A new neuropsychological memory test is helping to uncover how Parkinson"s disease can alter people"s ability to learn about the consequences of the choices they make. The test was developed by Dr. Mark Gluck, professor of neuroscience at the Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience at Rutgers University, Newark, working with co-researchers at Rutgers, New York University, and in Hungary.
The Met Office has raised the heatwave warning alert again today on behalf of the Department of Health.
Commenting on the news announced today by ESHRE"s European IVF monitoring consortium on the improvements in the quality, safety and efficacy of ART, Clare Lewis-Jones MBE, Chief Executive of Infertility Network UK said "We are angry that although the UK pioneered infertility treatment, we are still among the lowest providers in Europe of NHS treatment, and these figures show that availability in the UK is less than one third of that in Denmark. Recent measures announced by the Government to encourage implementation of the NICE Guideline have led to an improvement in the provision in some areas but more needs to be done by Primary Care Trusts in England to ensure that patients have equal and timely access to the full range of treatment recommended by NICE, and to tackle the ongoing variations in provision that exist across the country.
The search is on for fifty cancer patients undergoing chemo or radiotherapy to trial an innovative, natural cosmetic product, Evonail, aimed at reversing the damage done to cracked or broken nails during anti-cancer treatments.
AMAG Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAG) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted marketing approval for Feraheme™ (ferumoxytol) Injection for intravenous (IV) use as an iron replacement therapy for the treatment of iron deficiency anemia in adult patients with chronic kidney disease. The recommended dose of Feraheme is an initial 510 mg IV injection followed by a second 510 mg IV injection three to eight days later. Feraheme should be administered as an undiluted IV injection delivered at a rate of up to 1 mL/sec (30 mg/sec). The recommended Feraheme dose may be readministered to patients with persistent or recurrent iron deficiency anemia.
Despite rapid advances using a child"s own cord blood stem cells in regenerative therapies to repair damaged tissue due to injury or disease, most pregnant women today don"t learn about the ability to save their newborn"s cord blood. According to research published in the Journal of Reproductive Medicine, 3 out of every 4 pregnant women consider themselves only "minimally informed."
What is done when the elderly lodge complaints about their services? elderly care? Why is it that staff describe complaints made by the elderly as "trivialities"? In two recent studies, Tove Persson, doctoral student at the School of Health Sciences, shows that staff, as well as social services directors in local administrations often trivialize complaints from the elderly, which in turn makes it difficult for the elderly to influence their everyday lives.
New research suggests that exempting bars from community smoking bans makes no economic difference in terms of preserving bar employment, and that even the most comprehensive clean indoor air policies do not lead to a reduction in hospitality jobs.
On June 11, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence
Researchers in New Mexico are reporting the surprise discovery that common table salt - so brittle that it crushes easily between a thumb and forefinger - becomes a super plastic in the weird environs of the nanoworld. The super-elastic salt can stretch like taffy to twice its original length without breaking. The discovery could lead to new insights into the role of salt in a wide variety of situations ranging from helping clouds to form to triggering asthmatic attacks in people, they say. Their study is in the current issue of ACS" Nano Letters, a monthly journal.
HIV-Positive Babies More Likely To Contract Deadly TB If Given BCG
A study published this week in the open access journal PLoS Medicine finds no evidence to suggest that a controversial antidote recommended by the
Statement from Texas Medical Association President William H. Fleming III, MD, in response to today"s press conference by Sen. Eliot Shapleigh (D-El Paso) and Rep. Garnet Coleman (D-Houston). Senator Shapleigh and Representative Coleman called on Governor Rick Perry to add legislation that would expand the Children"s Health Insurance Program in the special session.
Two doctors with over 30 years of experience spoke with National Public Radio about how medicine has changed over their careers, and what they expect to see come out of the current health reform debate.
Community pharmacies are urged to register to participate in Phase 2 of the Dose Administration Aids
Comparative-Effectiveness Research - Implications of the Federal Coordinating Council"s Report The New England Journal Of Medicine
The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control "has prioritized testing" for HIV and offered free or low-cost testing at events in conjunction with National HIV Testing Day last week, an Orangeburg Times and Democrat editorial states, adding, "The importance of testing is not to be forgotten the other 364 days of the year." The editorial continues, "On the national level, Congresswoman Maxine Waters of California has reintroduced a bill to require health insurance plans to cover routine HIV tests under the same terms and conditions as other routine health screenings. The risk of further spread of [HIV] illustrates the legislation is needed to ensure broader testing" (Orangeburg Times and Democrat, 7/1).
The University of Queensland will establish a $2.5million GP Super Clinic at Ipswich that will focus on key local health issues.
The Australian Medical Students" Association (AMSA) Global Health Conference continues today, with the focus turning towards our own backyard.
The state Division of Senior and Disabilities Services is working this summer in coordination with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to improve its compliance with federal standards in the areas of Home and Community Based Medicaid Waivers and Personal Care Services (Personal Care Assistance).
A human growth factor that stimulates blood stem cells to proliferate in the bone marrow reverses memory impairment in mice genetically altered to develop Alzheimer"s disease, researchers at the University of South Florida and James A. Haley Hospital found. The granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (GCSF) significantly reduced levels of the brain-clogging protein beta amyloid deposited in excess in the brains of the Alzheimer"s mice, increased the production of new neurons and promoted nerve cell connections.
The Texas Department of State Health Services is reminding swimmers and skiers to take precautions to avoid infection from Naegleria fowleri, an ameba assumed to be present in all rivers, lakes, ponds, tanks and streams.
Schizophrenia is a devastating mental disease, thought to be caused by the interaction of both genetic and environmental factors. Because there is no biochemical test that can identify the disorder, physicians rely upon the recognition of its symptoms - which can include auditory hallucinations and paranoia - in order to make their diagnosis.
Take Care Health Systems, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Walgreens (NYSE:WAG) (NASDAQ:WAG) and the largest and most comprehensive provider of convenient care clinics and worksite health and wellness centers in the country, is now offering a new set of procedures for skin conditions and minor injury treatments.
Researchers have successfully tested for the first time a computer simulation of major portions of the body"s immune reaction to influenza type A, with implications for treatment design and preparation ahead of future pandemics, according to work accepted for publication, and posted online, by the Journal of Virology. The new "global" flu model is built out of preexisting, smaller-scale models that capture in mathematical equations millions of simulated interactions between virtual immune cells and viruses.
HCL plc, the UK"s largest health and social care recruitment agency, said the Government"s proposals to reform the NHS by devolving power to frontline professionals and patients will mean a greater need for flexible staffing and more collaboration between the public and private sectors.
GP phone consultations carry definite risks, warns an article in the current edition of Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland (MDDUS) magazine Summons today (Thursday, 2 July).
The frontiers of cell transplantation for cardiac repair are discussed in the current issue of Cell Transplantation (Vol. 18 No.3), now available on-line without charge at http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cog/ct.
The single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) known as 2q35-rs13387042 is associated with increased risk of estrogen receptor (ER) -positive and -negative breast cancer, according to a study published online July 1 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
We are all familiar with the fact that cognitive function declines as we get older. Moreover, recent studies have shown that the specific kind of daily activities we engage in during the course of our lives appears to influence the extent of this decline. A team of researchers from Technische Universitç¤t Berlin are studying how division of labour among honey bees affects their learning performance as they age. Surprisingly, they have found that, by switching their social role, aging honey bees can keep their learning ability intact or even improve it. The scientists are planning to use them as a model to study general aging processes in the brain, and they even hope that they may provide some clues on how to prevent them. Dr. Ricarda Scheiner, leader of the research team, presented these findings at the Society of Experimental Biology Annual Meeting in Glasgow.
A study in the July 1 issue of the journal SLEEP demonstrates that levels of inflammatory markers varied significantly with self-reported sleep duration in women but not men.
-- 30 confirmed cases in Wales, with 4 new cases:
A Decade-Long campaign by the British Psychological Society to have statutory regulation for practitioner psychologists comes to fruition.
Panel physicians are increasingly offering individual health services (IHS) to patients with statutory health insurance. This is documented by Susanne Richter et al. of the Department of Social Medicine, Lubeck University, in the new edition of Deutsches Arzteblatt (Dtsch Arztebl Int 2009; 106(26): 433-9). IHS include medical health services which are not reimbursed by the health insurance funds and which the patient has to pay for himself.
Patients will continue to be unprotected if statutory independent regulation is not extended to counsellors and psychotherapists, according to leading national charities Mind and WITNESS. On the day that psychologists are to be regulated by the Health Professions Council (HPC), the charities welcome the advancement and urge counsellors and psychotherapists to follow suit.
President Barack Obama pitched his health reform proposal Wednesday at a town hall meeting in Annandale, Va., asking the public and Congress to deliver on health care reform.
Democrats on a key Senate committee are readying a plan that has a government-run insurance option and a $750-per-worker annual fee on larger companies that do not offer coverage to its employees, The Associated Press reports.
Home remains the likeliest place to suffer an eye injury, according to a survey conducted by the American Academy of Ophthalmology (Academy) and the American Society of Ocular Trauma (ASOT). The annual Eye Injury Snapshot, a clinical survey of eye injuries across the U.S., conducted from May 17 to May 24 this year, found that nearly half (47.6 percent) of the 2.5 million eye injuries that Americans suffer annually now happen in and around the home in common places like the lawn, garden, kitchen or garage.
"As Congress prepares to do battle over health reform, a parallel dispute is shaping up among small-business groups that are staking out opposing positions on a key element of reform proposals: whether Uncle Sam will take on a bigger role in offering insurance coverage or leave the field to the private market," CNN Money reports. A fierce critic of the Clinton administration"s health care reform efforts a decade ago, the [National Federation of Independent Business] now considers universal health care to be one of its top legislative priorities. But it wants to see that care and coverage come from the private sector." The NFIB supports "a reform plan that would provide universal coverage and cut costs by increasing competition among private insurers, likely through the creation of government-mediated insurance pools." But "the Main Street Alliance, founded last year to lobby on behalf of small-business owners around health reform, says its survey of 1,200 small business operators and self-employed entrepreneurs in the 12 states where it operates found that 59% prefer a public option, with only 26% wanting more private plan choices alone" (deMaus, 7/2).
The Patients Doctors Don"t Know The New York Times
The following summarizes news coverage of state abortion statistics in Minnesota and Wisconsin.~ Minnesota: The number of abortions performed in Minnesota decreased for the second consecutive year in 2008, according to an annual report from the state Department of Health, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. Except for a one-time increase in 2006, the number of abortions in Minnesota has trended downward since a peak in 1980, when 19,028 procedures were performed. The new report found that 12,948 abortions were performed in the state in 2008, a decrease of 895 from 2007. Women ages 20 to 24 accounted for about one-third of the procedures, the most among any age group. The number of procedures among teenagers continued a decline that began in the 1990s but had leveled off slightly earlier this decade, the report found. The report also found that less than one-third of women reported using contraception and about one in seven was married at the time of conception (Von Sternberg, Minneapolis Star Tribune, 7/1).~ Wisconsin: Wisconsin abortion providers performed 8,229 procedures in 2008, the lowest number since the state began collecting statistics in 1974, according to an annual report by the state Department of Health Services, the AP/Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports. The number of abortions has declined annually since 2003, when 10,557 procedures were performed. State law requires abortion providers to provide DHS with the data. According to the report, slightly more than half of abortions took place in the first eight weeks of pregnancy. Women who had never been married accounted for about three-fourths of all procedures. The report found that 12% of abortions occurred among women ages 35 and older; 34% were among women ages 20 to 24; 11% were among women ages 18 and 19; and 6% were among girls ages 15 to 17. The number of abortions among minors decreased from 551 in 2007 to 500 in 2008, with parents providing consent in 452 of those cases (Richmond, AP/Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, 6/30).
Statement of Captain Charles D. Connor, U.S. Navy (Ret.), American Lung Association President and CEO: