Sexual Health
Alkermes, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALKS) announced the initiation of two new clinical trials of ALKS 33, an oral opioid modulator for the potential treatment of addiction and other nervous system disorders. Study ALK33-004 is a phase 1 clinical trial designed to examine the ability of ALKS 33 to block the effects of an opioid following a single oral dose of ALKS 33 in healthy, non-dependent, opioid-experienced subjects. Study ALK33-003 is a phase 1 clinical trial designed to evaluate the pharmacokinetics, safety and tolerability of multiple doses of ALKS 33 in healthy volunteers.
-- 0 confirmed cases in Wales.
The Senate Finance Committee met Wednesday to discuss potential funding mechanisms for health reform legislation but indicated that no concrete decisions had been reached, The Hill reports. The meeting was the third of three scheduled to "walk through" various aspects of health reform. Previous talks focused on the care delivery system and coverage. Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.) has said that he hopes for a bill to be approved for full Senate consideration by the end of July. He said of the talks so far, "We"ve got a lot of work ahead of us," adding, "Soon we have a mark up, soon we have a bill, and that realization is forcing us to make decisions." He also said, "Nothing"s pushed off the table. We"re looking at it all." Funding mechanisms discussed Wednesday included taxes on sugary and alcoholic beverages, as well as a limit on the tax-exempt status of employer-provided health insurance (Young, The Hill, 5/20). One proposal would raise the federal alcohol excise tax by 145% for beer, 233% for wine and 20% for hard liquor (Hurt, New York Post, 5/21). The committee also mulled a three-cent tax per 12-ounce container of sugary drinks, which would raise an estimated $50 billion over 10 years (Alonso-Zaldivar, AP/Houston Chronicle, 5/21). Baucus said he supports placing a cap on the employer coverage tax exemption based on income or the cost of premiums, or both. Congress estimates that about $194.2 billion in revenue is passed up each year by forgoing taxes on the insurance plans. The committee also discussed decreasing Medicare spending on home care, durable medical equipment, medical imaging and prescription drugs, as well as addressing regional disparities in health care costs (The Hill, 5/20). Members also brought up the possibility of charging higher-income seniors higher premiums for the Medicare prescription drug benefit (Wayne, CQ Today, 5/20). Members also discussed introducing new standards for not-for-profit hospitals that would require them to provide more no-cost care and serve more low-income patients in order to keep their tax-exempt status. In addition, they discussed cutting special Medicare payments to teaching hospitals, as well as requiring drugmakers to give larger discounts to state Medicaid programs (Pear, New York Times, 5/21).Baucus noted "convergence" on some issues, such as the need to include complete funding in a reform package, as well as the need to establish insurance exchanges that would facilitate the purchase of public or private insurance (The Hill, 5/20). Committee ranking member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said, "There was a greater understanding of the issues we have," but there are "a lot of members who still want some more understanding." Grassley also said, "There"s just a lot of questions; there are -- I wouldn"t say misunderstandings, but there"s got to be a lot of understanding about what you"re talking about" (CQ Today, 5/20). Chances of Bipartisan Bill
Dynavax Technologies Corporation (Nasdaq:DVAX) announced the award of a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). This grant will support the preclinical development of Dynavax"s first-in-class oligonucleotide-based Toll-like Receptor (TLR) inhibitors for use in inflammatory skin diseases such as psoriasis, cutaneous lupus, and dermatomyositis. This new two-year $700,000 grant is in addition to a $1.8 million grant awarded in 2008.
Yolo County, Calif., Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a proposal to cut county funding for health care services for undocumented immigrants in an effort to save the county more than $1 million, the Sacramento Bee reports (Sangree, Sacramento Bee, 5/20).California counties have been taking such action amid the economic recession to reduce their budgets. In February, Sacramento County voted to prohibit undocumented immigrants from receiving care at county clinics to save an estimated $2.4 million. Contra Costa County last month cut services for undocumented adults, seeking to save an estimated $6 million. Yolo County is facing a $24 million budget deficit for fiscal year 2009-2010 (Kaiser Health Disparities Report, 5/7).Robin Affrime -- head of CommuniCare Health Centers, which provide treatment to low-income residents of Woodland, Davis and West Sacramento -- said the county spending cuts would shift costs to health care providers. Supervisor Jim Provenza said undocumented immigrants would delay care at clinics and eventually seek treatment in hospital emergency departments (Sacramento Bee, 5/20).
In an effort that will contribute to raising the quality of medicines in Peru and the surrounding region, the country"s National Center for Quality Control - the Centro Nacional de Control de Calidad (CNCC) - has attained internationally recognized ISO/IEC 17025:2005 accreditation for testing and calibration laboratories. This achievement is being celebrated today in Lima by the CNCC along with its partners who assisted the laboratory in achieving this accreditation, including the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. Pharmacopeial (USP) Convention, a scientific nonprofit organization that develops and disseminates standards for the identity, quality, purity, strength and consistency of medicines as well as dietary supplements and food ingredients.
BioAlliance Pharma SA (Paris:BIO), a company dedicated to therapies and supportive care for cancer and AIDS patients, announced its scientific communications at upcoming international conferences on infectious diseases and oncology:
Amid renewed calls to consider reducing the legal drinking age, a new University of Georgia study finds that lower drinking ages increase unplanned pregnancies and pre-term births among young people.
Inuit children have the highest rate of hospital admission for Lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) globally, but new research shows that lowering risk factors though public health interventions and an enhanced immunization program could improve health for Inuit children and lower health care costs significantly. The first-of-its-kind case control research was conducted by Dr. Anna Banerji, a pediatric infectious disease specialist and researcher at St. Michael"s Hospital.
Mayo Clinic researchers have found that bipolar disorder (BPD) is a more costly chronic condition than diabetes, depression, asthma and coronary artery disease (CAD), based on a review of health care claim costs. Specialty care costs (the costs of seeing any specialist and all tests ordered) were especially higher for bipolar patients. Results of this review were presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Psychiatric Association in San Francisco.
Agios Pharmaceuticals, the first biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing novel cancer metabolism drugs, announced that the leading scientific journal Science has published a review article, "Understanding the Warburg Effect: The Metabolic Requirements of Cell Proliferation," authored by two of its founders, Lewis C. Cantley, Ph.D., Director of the Cancer Center at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Professor of Systems Biology and Craig B. Thompson, M.D., Director, Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania, and one of its scientific advisors, Matthew Vander Heiden, M.D., Ph.D., Instructor of Medicine, Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School.
Scientists have discovered that cells use a very simple phase transition -- similar to water vapor condensing into dew -- to assemble and localize subcellular structures that are involved in formation of the embryo.
An experimental vaccine applied to the surface of the skin appears to protect against certain types of ear infections. Scientists from the Research Institute at Nationwide Children"s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, reported their findings at the 109th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology in Philadelphia.
Aerosol delivery of antibiotics via nanoparticles may provide a means to
Biovest International, Inc. (Other OTC:BVTI), a majority-owned subsidiary of Accentia Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (Other OTC:ABPIQ), announced that BiovaxID®, Biovest"s personalized anti-cancer vaccine targeting B-cell blood cancers, will be featured in an oral presentation during the Plenary Session at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting on Sunday, May 31st, 2009 in Orlando, Florida.
PolyMedix, Inc., an emerging biotechnology company developing acute care products for infectious diseases and acute cardiovascular disorders, has received a notice of no objection from Health Canada for the Company"s Clinical Trial Application ("CTA") for its defensin mimetic antibiotic compound, PMX-30063. This notice of no objection allows for the initiation of the second human clinical study in Canada. PMX-30063 is a defensin mimetic antibiotic compound, the first of an entirely new class of antibiotic drugs that is believed to work in such a way that makes bacterial resistance unlikely to develop.
Hospital facilities upgrades due for completion by June 2009. Measures to reduce and eventually eliminate mixed sex wards and washing facilities throughout Somerset"s 13 community hospitals are nearing completion. Last year the government pledged to reduce mixed sex accommodation throughout all England"s NHS hospitals. All hospitals have now stepped up their efforts to deliver this goal.
Metabolic surgery, a new surgical approach to metabolic disease, may provide the key to curing diabetes in some patients. This data was presented at the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) 18th Annual Meeting & Clinical Congress.
More than 20 million Americans suffer from severe vision loss. While not all eye diseases can be prevented, there are simple steps that everyone can take to help their eyes remain healthy now and reduce their chances of vision loss in the future.
Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), chair of the Senate Finance Committee, on Thursday said that he supports "a version" of government-run health insurance but that such a program would not cover undocumented immigrants, the Washington Times reports. Baucus was speaking at an event sponsored by the Kaiser Family Foundation, Families USA and the National Federation of Independent Business (Haberkorn, Washington Times, 5/22). Baucus said that health care reform likely would provide coverage to between 94% and 96% of U.S. residents but that it would be "too politically explosive" to provide coverage to undocumented residents (Young, The Hill, 5/21). Undocumented immigrants account for between 15% and 22% of the estimated 47 million U.S. residents who lack health insurance, according to analyses by the Center for Immigration Studies and the U.S. Census Bureau. Baucus said the finance committee has not yet discussed whether federal funding to treat low-income, uninsured patients should be expanded to treat undocumented immigrants. "I don"t have a good answer yet to undocumented workers," Baucus said, adding, "There will still be charity care." According to the Dallas Morning News, some immigration advocates have said health reform efforts will not be complete if undocumented immigrants do not have coverage. Jaime Torres, president of Latinos for National Health Insurance, said, "In light of what"s happening now with the flu pandemic, it"s pretty clear that, for any health care system to work, it has to cover everyone residing in the United States" (Landers, Dallas Morning News, 5/22). Torres added, "It"s unfortunate that Sen. Baucus and the Congress might not have the courage to include the undocumented" (Washington Times, 5/22). A podcast and video of the press conference are available online at kff.org.
In just two weeks from the time the first patient virus samples were made available, Singapore scientists report an evolutionary analysis of a critical protein produced by the 2009 H1N1 influenza A virus strain.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) honored 41 doctors as "Exemplary Psychiatrists" at the American Psychiatric Association (APA) annual conference in San Francisco today.
A new study from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers found that participants who drank for a week from polycarbonate bottles, the popular, hard-plastic drinking bottles and baby bottles, showed a two-thirds increase in their urine of the chemical bisphenol A (BPA). Exposure to BPA, used in the manufacture of polycarbonate and other plastics, has been shown to interfere with reproductive development in animals and has been linked with cardiovascular disease and diabetes in humans. The study is the first to show that drinking from polycarbonate bottles increased the level of urinary BPA, and thus suggests that drinking containers made with BPA release the chemical into the liquid that people drink in sufficient amounts to increase the level of BPA excreted in human urine.
Responding to President Obama"s directive to upgrade the nation"s food safety system, the White House Food Safety Working Group, led by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, launched a website to provide information about the group"s activities and progress.
There are many ways to deal with the pain of giving birth, but women and their obstetricians can always benefit from having another choice. A Cochrane review has concluded that women in labor should have the option of using transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) a non-drug method of pain management.
Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) introduced three new respiratory support devices: the Respironics V60 and V200, and Trilogy100 ventilators. These ventilation solutions are intended to support breathing in the intensive care, sub-acute, and home care settings. As a family of products, the three devices are well-suited to address the ventilation care challenges that clinicians face on a daily basis, such as treating respiratory failure from exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) while avoiding ventilator-associated pneumonia.
A new survey released by Royal Philips Electronics (AEX: PHI, NYSE: PHG) shows that the average manager is sleeping 19 percent less than the recommended amount of eight hours a night. The survey, conducted in five countries around the globe, showed that 40 percent of those questioned blame the state of the world economy as the major reason for their lack of sleep.
The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) announced that Jay Keasling, CEO of the Joint BioEnergy Institute, Professor of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering at the University of California at Berkley and acting Deputy Director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, has been selected as the honoree for the first annual Biotech Humanitarian Award.
Roche announced that two-year data from the LITHE (TociLIzumab Safety and THE Prevention of Structural Joint Damage) study demonstrated that ACTEMRA(R) (tocilizumab) continued to inhibit the progression of structural damage to joints in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The study also showed that patients receiving ACTEMRA experienced improved physical function, as measured by the Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index (HAQ-DI) scores(1). The LITHE study is the fifth international Phase III study in the extensive ACTEMRA clinical development program to successfully meet its primary endpoints in patients with moderately to severely active RA.
A full third of American adults, 69 million men and women over age 40, are up to 12 times more likely to have a serious fall because they have some form of inner-ear dysfunction that throws them off balance and makes them dizzy, according to Johns Hopkins experts.
UroToday.com - "Urgency" is the cornerstone of the diagnosis of overactive bladder (OAB) as well as a common complaint of patients with BPS/IC. What the term actually refers to when used by patients remains problematic and the subject of some controversy. The International Continence Society defines it as a "sudden compelling desire to void that is difficult to defer". The word sudden is designed to differentiate the sensation from the "urgency" that patients with BPS/IC complain of, but the distinction is quite vague in practice. Many believe that it is the reason for the urgency (fear of incontinence vs. pain) that should make the distinction.
Researchers at the Helmholtz Centre demonstrate how bacteria measure temperature and thereby control infection.
The European Union readily brings to mind rules and regulations regarding everything from the shape of a cucumber to the generation of statistics. The EU"s formal regulations consist of more than 300,000 legal documents. However, a new dissertation in business studies at Stockholm University shows that, in practice, the regulation of the EU is much more comprehensive than that.
Scientists in Germany have discovered a gene that links the gum disease periodontitis and increased risk of coronorary heart disease (CHD) and
An advance in solving the mysterious machine-workers" disease
Health Canada is advising expectant mothers and breastfeeding women not to take the vitamin-mineral supplements Maxum Matragen or Maxum Multi-Vite by Seroyal International Inc. Maxum Multi-Vite has been approved as a vitamin-mineral supplement for only the general public but lacks the required cautionary statement on the label regarding pregnant and/or breast feeding women. The product Maxum Matragen is being promoted by the company as a prenatal supplement; however, neither product has been authorized for sale by Health Canada for use by women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.
I"m a Celebrity: Get Me out of Here! star David Van Day today (20 May) swapped jungle bugs and snakes for mugs and cakes to raise vital funds and awareness for people with dementia and their carers.
Researchers in Indiana are reporting an advance toward faster, more sensitive tests for detecting melamine, the substance that killed at least 6 children and sickened 300,000 children in China who drank milk and infant formula adulterated with the substance. The improved tests may ease global concerns about food safety, the researchers say. Their report is scheduled for the May 27 issue of ACS" Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a bi-weekly publication.
For the first time, scientists have been able to identify genetic factors that influence the age at which natural menopause occurs in women. Ms Lisette Stolk, a researcher from Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, told the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics that a greater understanding of the factors influencing age at menopause might eventually help to improve the clinical treatment of infertile women.
The Government today responded to the independent inquiry into contaminated blood supplies in the 1970s and 1980s.
A study of 3,133 men from a variety of test centres across Europe has shown that lower 25 (OH) D levels (vitamin D levels) were associated with poorer brain performance (in middle aged and older men). The study looked at a number of cognitive function tests with only one being linked to vitamin D statistically. The study did not look at cognitive function in women.
Researchers attending the annual meeting of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics & Outcomes Research (ISPOR), heard today that prescribing Aricept® (donepezil hydrochloride) as soon as patients are diagnosed with either mild or moderate Alzheimer"s disease saves the NHS money. The findings contradict the recommendation by NICE that these medicines are not cost effective in the early stages of the disease, a decision that has been the subject of much recent debate.
WHO Member States had earlier agreed to shorten the Assembly from nine to five days in order to allow senior officials to return to their home countries to help oversee preparedness for a possible influenza pandemic.
Ark Therapeutics Group plc ("Ark" or the "Company") announces that the first patient has been enrolled into the US Phase III study for Trinam®. Trinam® is Ark"s novel gene-based medicine to prevent blood vessels blocking in kidney dialysis patients who have undergone vascular access graft surgery. The product is an adenovirus-mediated VEGF D gene delivered with a novel biodegradeable local delivery device (EG001).
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) today announced the launch of a Joint Programme on Cancer Control, aimed at strengthening and accelerating efforts to fight cancer in the developing world.
HIV and sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust is teaming up with local HIV support service Summit House Support to launch Sandwell"s first ever centre for people living with HIV. The new centre will be opened by Heart FM broadcaster Steve Denyer at 12.00pm on Wednesday 3 June.
Medicines Australia chief executive Ian Chalmers said tonight he was disappointed by
Trying to quit cigarettes but don"t know how? A new analysis led by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Public Health, suggests that Web- and computer-based smoking cessation programs are worth a try, and fortunately during these tough economic times, many of them are free.
A proposal by a team of UC Davis scientists to develop the world"s first electron microscope capable of filming live biological processes has been awarded a $2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.
Hours after Hurricane Ike roared ashore in Texas, more than two million homes were without power, which left some scrambling to preserve food and others looking for ways to entertain children, a move that proved to be, in some instances, poisonous. Researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston found that 75 percent of children treated for carbon monoxide poisoning caused by gasoline-powered electrical generators were playing video games
Spring marks baseball season for more than 19 million children and adolescents who play each year as part of a team or in backyards throughout the United States. The good news for these players is that the number of injuries from the sport is on the decline. A new study by the Center for Injury Research and Policy of The Research Institute at Nationwide Children"s Hospital found that the number of children and adolescents treated for baseball-related injuries in hospital emergency departments decreased 25 percent from 1994 through 2006 - going from an estimated 147,000 injuries in 1994 to approximately 111,000 injuries in 2006. This is the first national study of youth baseball injuries requiring emergency treatment, and is now available online in the June electronic issue of Pediatrics.
Stem cells that respond after a severe injury in the lungs of mice may be a of rapidly dividing cells that lead to lung cancer, according to a team of American and British researchers.
A short, preoperative team briefing prior to cardiac surgery - where each person on the team speaks - improves communication and reduces errors and costs, according to a pilot study conducted at Mayo Clinic.
Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and Boston University School of Public Health have found that no adjustment method fully resolves confounding by indication in observational studies, meaning when the validity of a study is threatened by unmeasured confounding, it is not straightforward to determine which method of adjustment, if any, is most effective in obtaining a valid and precise estimate of effect. The study appears online in the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology.
Surgeons told Donald Bickford, 71, that due to the weakened condition of his lungs, ordinary surgery was not an option for removing his lung tumor. To treat the tumor, Arul Mahadevan, MD, radiation oncologist at Wentworth-Douglass Hospital here, prescribed a type of non-invasive radiosurgery using the Novalis Tx(TM) platform from Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR) and BrainLAB.
CEL-SCI Corporation (NYSE AMEX: CVM) announced that it is developing an immune-based treatment for the "swine flu and related H1N1" flu viruses, utilizing its proprietary L.E.A.P.S.(TM) (Ligand Epitope Antigen Presentation System) vaccine technology. The Company plans to utilize the expertise and knowledge it has gained from developing protective and therapeutic vaccines utilizing L.E.A.P.S. to develop a therapeutic treatment based upon the technology for people infected with the swine and H1N1 flu viruses. CEL-SCI has already commenced pre-clinical testing.
Better science, better regulation and better access policies are needed in Europe to support an
Young children learn how to speak and understand language from the words parents speak at home and teachers speak in preschool. A new longitudinal study has found that their preschool classmates also play a part.
An Ohio State University researcher is shifting his development of an MRI-compatible treadmill to his start-up company and plans to have a device ready for clinical testing in three months. The treadmill could allow physicians to measure a patient"s heart during peak stress more accurately than the echocardiograph and nuclear imaging processes now widely used.
Summaries of editorials and opinion pieces regarding health care reform appear below.
Agendia, a world leader in molecular cancer diagnostics, today announced
Responding to Health Secretary Alan Johnson"s announcement of a review on the impact of the European Working Time Directive on doctors" training, Dr Andy Thornley, Chair of the BMA"s Junior Doctors Committee, said:
The Department of Health must start to think beyond simple numerical measures of access to dentistry if it is serious about reducing the oral health inequalities of England"s population, according to the British Dental Association (BDA). The BDA"s message comes after figures published today by the NHS Information Centre demonstrated a small recovery in the number of people able to access NHS dental care.
Developing interventions to reduce the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections among heterosexual men, couples and ethnically diverse populations continues to be complex and challenging. To help address this issue, NIMH awarded a two-year grant to David Pç©rez-Jimç©nez, Ph.D., at the University of Puerto Rico, to support the adaptation and assessment of an HIV and other sexually transmitted infection intervention designed for young, heterosexual Latino couples. This grant will use funds allocated to NIMH through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to promote economic recovery and spur advances in science and health.
Heart rate and core temperature spike for NASCAR pit crew athletes during pit stops, a combination of physiological demands that may take a toll on crew performance, says a study presented today at the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) 56th Annual Meeting in Seattle. These factors, linked with demand for highly skilled pit crews, heighten the need for physical conditioning of pit crew athletes based on the unique demands of the sport.
UNICEF has appealed for an additional $41.4 million to provide urgent assistance to people displaced by fighting in northwest Pakistan. Over half of the displaced are children. UNICEF Pakistan has now almost exhausted its contingency stocks of supplies and funding.
Fate Therapeutics, Inc. announced that the first patient has been treated in a Phase 1b clinical trial of FT1050, a small molecule Stem Cell Modulator (SCM) designed to increase hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) number and function through its activation of key pathways that guide cell fate. The study, which is being conducted at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts, will determine the safety and tolerability of introducing FT1050 during the standard course of dual umbilical cord blood transplant in adult patients with hematologic malignancies, such as leukemia and lymphoma, who have undergone nonmyeloablative conditioning therapy. Fate Therapeutics is developing FT1050 to improve the overall efficiency of HSC treatment by enhancing HSC proliferation and homing to the bone marrow.
Contrary to the industry"s position that visible drink labels will promote responsible drinking, young people are, instead, using these visible standard drink labels to increase or even maximize the amount of alcohol they consume at the lowest cost possible.
Health professionals on Tuesday held vigils in several cities worldwide to protest the imprisonment of Iranian brothers Kamiar and Arash Alaei -- physicians and leading HIV/AIDS advocates in the country -- following the release of Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi, the Albany Times Union reports. Vigils were held in cities such as New York City and Washington, D.C., as a day of global protest against the brothers" imprisonment. Vigils also were held in cities across Africa, Asia, Europe and South America, according to the Times Union.Jonathan Hutson -- a spokesperson for Physicians for Human Rights, which is leading a campaign for the brothers" release -- said, "The release of Ms. Saberi has shifted the world"s attention to the plight of others who are likewise jailed in Iran on trumped-up charges." He added, "This is not an issue of politics, but of global health. The only battle they were engaged in is the public health battle to prevent and treat the deadly epidemic of AIDS. They need to be allowed to return to their lifesaving work" (Grondahl, Albany Times Union, 5/13). Related Editorials
Deaths of children aged under five years have dropped by 27% globally since 1990, according to the latest World Health Organization (WHO) estimates. But in WHO"s first progress report on the health Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) released today in the World.
- 0 confirmed cases in Wales.
Pregnant women with low levels of vitamin D may be more likely to suffer from bacterial vaginosis (BV) - a common vaginal infection that increases a woman"s risk for preterm delivery, according to a University of Pittsburgh study. Available online and published in the June issue of The Journal of Nutrition, the study may explain why African-American women, who often lack adequate vitamin D, are three times more likely than white women to develop BV.
Merrill Egorin, M.D., professor of medicine and pharmacology at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI), has received the 2009 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Translational Research Professorship for his work in improving cancer treatments and supporting the next generation of researchers.
The New York Times on Sunday examined maternal mortality in Tanzania, in the opening of a three-part series on maternal mortality in Africa. According to the Tanzanian Ministry of Health, the country has a maternal death rate of 578 per 100,000 births, though the World Health Organization puts the count at 950 maternal deaths per 100,000 births. Roughly 13,000 Tanzanian women die of pregnancy- or childbirth-related causes annually, giving it "neither the best nor the worst record in Africa," the Times reports. Tanzania is one of the world"s poorest countries and faces shortages in several areas -- including health workers, drugs, equipment and infrastructure -- that contribute to maternal mortality.The Times profiled obstetrical care at a rural hospital in Berega, Tanzania, that typifies efforts to reduce maternal mortality in Africa. Facing a shortage of doctors and nurses, the hospital has been training "assistant medical officers" to perform caesarean sections and other procedures. Meanwhile, the government also is attempting to train more assistants and midwives, build more clinics and nursing schools, offer housing to attract health workers to rural areas and provide places for pregnant women to stay closer to hospitals.According to the Times, many women who die in childbirth are young and healthy, and most maternal deaths are preventable with basic obstetrical care. The five leading causes of maternal death are bleeding, infection, high blood pressure, prolonged labor and complications resulting from abortions, the Times reports. In discussing maternal mortality, experts often refer to what are known as "the three delays": a woman"s delay in going to the hospital, the time spent traveling there and the hospital"s delay in starting treatment upon the woman"s arrival. Although only around 15% of births have dangerous complications, the problems are almost impossible to predict, and seemingly normal labors can quickly progress into serious emergencies. Worldwide, more than 536,000 women die annually from pregnancy or childbirth, according to WHO (Grady, New York Times, 5/24).
Shire plc (LSE: SHP, NASDAQ: SHPGY), the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, announced results of a study showing that coadministration of the ADHD medication VYVANSE® (lisdexamfetamine dimesylate) CII with the proton pump inhibitor (PPI) Prilosec OTC® 40 mg (20 mg X 2), did not alter the median time it took for maximum plasma concentration of d-amphetamine to be reached in the subjects evaluated. In the same study, coadministration of Prilosec OTC with ADDERALL XR resulted in a nearly 45 percent reduction in the median time to reach maximum plasma concentrations of amphetamine, the active medication. Other pharmacokinetic parameters (maximum plasma concentration and area under curve) of active medication were not altered for either VYVANSE or ADDERALL XR when coadministered with Prilosec OTC. This study, which is the first to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of VYVANSE and ADDERALL XR taken alone and with Prilosec OTC 40 mg, was recently presented at the International Congress on Clinical Pharmacy, co-sponsored by the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP), in Orlando, FL.
U.S. antitrust laws could affect health care industry groups" efforts to work together to rein in health care costs, the New York Times reports (Pear, New York Times, 5/27). In a letter sent to President Obama on May 10, a coalition of groups -- the American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the Advanced Medical Technology Association, America"s Health Insurance Plans and the Service Employees International Union -- pledged to reduce the annual health care spending growth rate by 1.5%. The groups did not elaborate on what specific measures they would use to achieve such reductions, but the Obama administration has requested specific plans from the groups by June 1 (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 5/26). According to the Times, many of the plans being considered by the health care industry would require greater cooperation across health care providers. Robert Leibenluft, a former Federal Trade Commission official, said, "Any agreement among competitors with regard to prices or price increases -- even if they set a maximum -- would raise legal concerns." In addition, while Obama is asking for specific plans from the health care industry, the administration has not offered any relief from antitrust laws, the Times reports. Furthermore, during his campaign Obama pledged to increase enforcement of antitrust laws, according to the Times.Antitrust laws have had a negative effect on previous health reform efforts, the Times reports. In 1993, the drug industry established a voluntary cost control plan that limited each drug company"s annual increase in the average price of prescription drugs to the increase in the Consumer Price Index, but the Department of Justice ruled that the proposal would violate antitrust laws. DOJ officials said that the U.S. Supreme Court made it clear that setting price maximums was akin to setting price minimums, which is illegal. In a letter to the Senate Finance Committee, AHA wrote that uncertainty regarding the enforcement of antitrust laws "makes it difficult for a hospital and doctors to collaborate to improve care" and reduce costs. AMA has asked Congress to amend antitrust laws to allow physicians to collectively negotiate with insurers over fees and other concerns, but FTC repeatedly has designated the practice illegal price-fixing, according to the Times. FTC officials said that consumers could benefit from cooperation among health care industry groups but that cooperation also could lead to increased bargaining power for physicians and hospitals, making it easier for them to set prices and eliminate competition (New York Times, 5/27). Reform Developments
People who no longer have health insurance because of a job loss, voluntary retirement or other reasons have begun obtaining health coverage through the "little-known" option of group coverage, the Wall Street Journal reports. According to the Journal, the option is especially beneficial for people with pre-existing conditions to whom some insurers deny coverage. Federal law requires group policies to cover pre-existing conditions provided a person has not been uninsured for more than 63 days.To qualify for group coverage, an individual, a couple or a small group of people must provide evidence of ownership of an actual business, which could include freelance, contract or consulting work. Industry experts note that rules vary between states. In addition, group coverage could cost more than individual coverage, according to the Journal. The Journal reports that insurance companies might add extra fees for smaller groups. The smallest groups, sometimes of two or three people, can face surcharges of about 30% more than what larger groups pay, according to insurance broker Rick Martin.According to the Journal, it is unclear how many business owners currently are eligible for group coverage. Data from the Kaiser Family Foundation indicate that about one-third of the four million uninsured U.S. residents between ages 55 and 64 are self-employed, the Journal reports (Greene, Wall Street Journal, 5/27).
Over the next 18 months, psychiatrists will revise the American Psychiatric Association"s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, which is used to determine how U.S. residents" mental health is assessed, diagnosed and treated, the Los Angeles Times reports. Since the manual was last updated in 1994, technologies such as brain imaging and new understandings of the biological and genetic causes of many disorders have "almost guaranteed alterations" in the number of mental disorders included in fifth DSM volume, which is scheduled to be published in 2012, the Times reports.While some psychiatrists argue the manual should be broad enough to determine treatment for those who need it, others are concerned that if too broad, the manual will diagnose conditions that would otherwise be considered normal human behavior. David Kupfer, a psychiatrist at the University of Pittsburgh"s Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinics and chair of the DSM-V task force, said the DSM-V will recognize variations of disorders that have not been seen as part of "classic" illnesses, and will describe disorders in more detail, including how they differ based on race, gender, age, physical health and culture. Health insurance companies use the manual to determine coverage options for certain treatments.People involved in the revisions said the manual will be a better reflection of mental conditions of "real" people, rather than just those with the most severe cases of disorders or obvious diagnoses, the Times reports (Roan, Los Angeles Times, 5/26).
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) on Tuesday sent state lawmakers a plan to reduce more than $5 billion in spending that includes cuts to HIV/AIDS services, the Los Angeles Times reports (Rothfeld/McGreevy, Los Angeles Times, 5/27). The proposed cuts include $55.5 million in California"s AIDS Drug Assistance Program and other state Office of AIDS programs. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Schwarzenegger"s plan would make HIV-positive people pay more for drugs, while HIV/AIDS programs such as counseling, monitoring and education would be reduced or eliminated. "We were expecting cuts, but this is much, much worse than what we were expecting," Courtney Mulhern-Pearson, policy and legislative associate for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, said (Yi, San Francisco Chronicle, 5/27). Tuesday"s plan follows a separate proposal to cut $16 billion in overall state spending that Schwarzenegger announced two weeks ago. Aides say that Schwarzenegger plans to propose an additional $3 billion in reductions by the end of the week to offset a projected $24.3 billion budget shortfall. "Behind every one of these dollars that we cut there are real faces," Schwarzenegger said, adding, "Even though those are tough choices, what is the alternative?" (Los Angeles Times, 5/27).
South African Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi within the next two weeks is expected to launch a plan to address mother-to-child HIV transmission in an effort to reduce infant mortality in the country, The Times reports. The MTCT plan is part of a new health program adopted by President Jacob Zuma"s administration, according to The Times."This is one of the most urgent things I want to (deal with) as the new minister," Motsoaledi said. According to Motsoaledi, a child dies every eight minutes in South Africa, and about 40% of child deaths are related to HIV/AIDS. The plan was developed by the Development Bank of Southern Africa at a July meeting of government and health sector stakeholders. Participants at the meeting also examined maternal deaths and the decrease in life expectancy among young adults because of HIV/AIDS. According to Motsoaledi, these and other issues have been identified as priorities for the Zuma administration if South Africa is to meet targets in the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. They also have been consolidated into a 10-point plan to help the Department of Health focus on urgent issues through 2015."Health and education are the biggest challenges for (the government) and we ought to be doing something drastic," Motsoaledi said, adding, "These are very serious issues in society." The health department"s plan also calls for the revival of the National AIDS Council and says that the government should improve regulation of the private health sector. It also calls for the establishment of a national tuberculosis reference laboratory, a focus on infection rates among women ages 17 to 21 and the improvement of HIV prevention among commercial sex workers (Molele, The Times, 5/25).
Authorities in South Africa have begun construction of one of the 20 planned Football for Hope centers in Africa -- part of a 2010 World Cup campaign called "20 Centers for 2010" aimed at reducing the prevalence of HIV/AIDS, poverty and crime in local communities -- the AP/Google.com reports. The center under construction in South Africa"s Khayelitsha township will include a soccer field, community center and after-school programs that will focus on sex education and HIV/AIDS education. The International Federation of Football Association, or FIFA, in alliance with Streetfootballworld, a network of development groups, is providing the campaign with $10 million in funding. Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Namibia, Rwanda and other African countries will be home to the remaining 19 centers.According to FIFA President Joseph Blatter, the campaign "emphasizes the power of football far beyond the boundaries of the pitch." He added that the centers will "provide a platform for communities to address social issues such as children"s rights, education, health, HIV/AIDS prevention and will leave a legacy for Africa that will last long after the final whistle of the 2010 FIFA World Cup has been blown." Helen Zille, premier of the Western Cape Province, said construction of the center in the township "shows what we can do when we focus on getting things right rather than concentrating on what"s wrong," adding that she hopes the center is successful with its HIV/AIDS education efforts. The center will be run by Grassroots Soccer, an HIV/AIDS education organization that uses the sport to educate youth. Nocawe Tyali, a life-skills and football teacher who works with teenagers, said the new center will give young people an alternative to high-risk behaviors and enable the area to offer more youth football programs that include an HIV/AIDS prevention message (Nullis, AP/Google.com, 5/25).
A Dream Team of leading cancer researchers will accelerate development of drugs to attack a mutated molecular pathway that fuels endometrial, breast and ovarian cancers, funded by a three-year $15 million grant awarded today by Stand Up To Cancer.
Stress levels and cultural considerations affect how much and for what reasons college students exercise, according to research presented at the American College of Sports Medicine"s 56th Annual Meeting in Seattle.
Although professional football players typically experience an injury during their career, their longevity in the league is more affected by position than their history of injuries. According to a study presented today at the 56thAnnual Meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), punters, kickers and long snappers are more likely to have the longest careers in the NFL.
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on Wednesday voted to approve the nomination of Margaret Hamburg, President Obama"s nominee for FDA commissioner, moving consideration of the nomination to the Senate floor, CQ Today reports (Armstrong, CQ Today, 5/13).A spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said the Senate could vote on Hamburg as early as Thursday (CongressDaily, 5/14). Key Republican senators such as Orrin Hatch (Utah) and ranking HELP committee member Mike Enzi (Wyo.) have pledged their support of Hamburg (CQ Today, 5/13).If confirmed, one of Hamburg"s top priorities will be to improve food safety, according to the AP/Raleigh News & Observer (AP/Raleigh News & Observer, 5/14).
Promoting physical activity during Girl Scout meetings can be an effective way for young girls to get the exercise they need to be healthy, according to a study presented at the American College of Sports Medicine"s 56th Annual Meeting in Seattle.
When scientist Loretta Mayer set out to alleviate diseases associated with menopause, she didn"t realize her work could lead to addressing world hunger and feeding hundreds of millions of people.
Today"s Irish launch of RoActemra, a new treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) from Roche, is being hailed as a breakthrough in the fight against this incurable and often debilitating disease. RoActemra (tocilizumab) is the first medication of its kind developed for the treatment of RA and provides an innovative therapy option (1), which gives people with RA fast relief of RA signs and symptoms, such as pain. Also, people receiving RoActemra continue to benefit from increased relief during the course of treatment, with approximately half reaching remission (minimal signs and symptoms) by one year.
The House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee on Tuesday heard testimony on the Medical Device Safety Act of 2009 (HR 1346), which would allow consumers to sue medical device manufacturers in state courts, CQ HealthBeat reports. The bill responds to last year"s Supreme Court ruling that says medical devices with FDA pre-marketing approval can be pre-empted from lawsuits under state law, in accordance with the Medical Device Amendments of 1976. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.Y.), who introduced the bill, said that the 2008 Supreme Court ruling "ignor[ed] congressional intent" by providing blanket immunity for medical device makers. According to Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.), a co-sponsor of the bill, the original 1976 law sought to grant regulatory authority to FDA for medical devices, but it did not aim to eliminate state liability. Committee Chair Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), another co-sponsor, said last year"s ruling already has caused 1,400 injury cases to be thrown out of court, adding that the threat of litigation provides manufacturers with additional safety incentives. David Vladeck -- a law professor at Georgetown University Law Center who testified at the hearing -- added that immunity from lawsuits "removes incentive to manufacturers to fix devices quickly and get defective devices off the market."Rep. Nathan Deal (R-Ga.) said the class of device that must obtain pre-marketing approval -- which includes pacemakers and replacement heart valves -- represents only 2% of all approved medical devices each year. Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Texas) added that the measure could create an inconsistent system that allows both FDA experts and jurors in various states to make decisions on medical device safety standards. In addition, Rep. Joe Pitts (R-Pa.) cautioned that the bill might encourage manufacturers to limit distribution of their devices to certain states (Kim, CQ HealthBeat, 5/13). Related Editorial
Z-Cube Srl, the corporate venture arm of Zambon Company SpA, and Yissum Research Development Company Ltd., the technology transfer company of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, announced today that they have entered into a license agreement for Z-Cube to develop and commercialize an innovative nanotechnology drug delivery system for the treatment of pain. The technology was invented by Professor Elka Touitou from the Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Medicine, at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Dr Peter Coleman, Deputy Director of Research at The Stroke Association said:
For thousands of years ginger has been treasured for its reputed health benefits, in particular for treating digestive problems including nausea.
This is no fish story. When it comes to the importance of veterinarians helping prevent, control and eradicate aquatic animal diseases, there"s no need to exaggerate or boast.
Celleron Therapeutics Ltd, the Oxford UK based specialist in the development of individually targeted cancer medicines, has secured exclusive rights to AstraZeneca plc"s lead histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor (AZD 9468), for global development in conjunction with its proprietary "CancerNav" predictive biomarker platform. "CancerNav" specifically identifies those tumours which are most likely to respond to an individual cancer drug, thereby enabling a highly focussed clinical development and commercialisation programme, based on a closely linked diagnostic and therapeutic "personalised medicine" approach.
Could a holiday in the sun reduce the risk of developing multiple sclerosis? In a recent review for F1000 Medicine Reports, Bridget Bagert and Dennis Bourdette highlight recent advances in potential treatments.
Agendia, a world leader in molecular cancer diagnostics,
Overfishing and disease have decimated shellfish populations in many of