Oncology
"Even with the Medicare drug benefit, even with the prevalence of low-cost generics, even with loss-leader discounting by big chains, many Americans still find themselves unable to afford the prescription medications that manage their life-threatening conditions," The New York Times reports. In some areas, "the recession has heightened the struggle. National surveys consistently find that as many as a third of respondents say they are not complying with prescriptions because of cost, up from about a fourth three years ago."
A combination of measures taken to improve nutrition, indoor air pollution, immunization and child pneumonia case management could reduce total child mortality worldwide by 17 percent and global pneumonia deaths by more than 90 percent, according to a study published in the June issue of the Bulletin of the World Health Organization, UPI reports.
U.S House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) on Wednesday expressed skepticism that Congress would approve President Obama"s recent request for an additional $2 billion to help fight the H1N1 (swine flu) virus, Reuters/Washington Post reports.
Health advocates at a civil society meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, called for African governments to improve access to basic health care, IRIN reports. "African governments are failing to offer even the most basic healthcare that could save lives, speakers warned," writes IRIN.
On Friday, HIV/AIDS advocates in California will appear at the state Legislature"s Budget Conference Committee hearing to urge lawmakers to block proposed health-related budget cuts, the Bay Area Reporter reports. According to the Reporter, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger"s (R) latest budget proposal includes cutting $67.8 million from state HIV programs and an additional $12.3 million from the AIDS Drug Assistance Program. Anne Donnelly of Project Inform said, "We realize we may have to take cuts to our programs. But let"s make sure they are minimized and that we continue to deliver the essential services to those people living with HIV and those also at risk." Next week HIV/AIDS advocates also plan to convene on the steps of the state Capitol to protest the proposed budget cuts (Bajko, Bay Area Reporter, 6/4).
The Michigan Department of Community Health recently received approval from state lawmakers to use $3.2 million in private funds to support the state"s AIDS Drug Assistance Program, the AP/Detroit News reports. Michigan"s House and Senate Appropriations Committees also approved requests by other state agencies to shift funds as a means to continue public programs that were affected by budget cuts ordered last month (Eggert, AP/Detroit News, 6/4).
The Planned Parenthood Center of El Paso has begun to refocus its services on family planning and women"s health, and likely will shift its HIV/AIDS support programs to other providers that specialize in such services, according to the local agency"s board president, the El Paso Times reports. According to the agency, 56 percent of the center"s budget was earmarked for HIV/AIDS programs, while 30 percent was for family planning and primary health care. Lynn Salas, board president of the El Paso Planned Parenthood, said, "The [Planned Parenthood Federation of America] felt our AIDS/HIV programs had grown so much we were not focusing enough on the core mission, and we began in mid-March to plan the changes we are still working out" (Valdez, El Paso Times, 6/3).
A research team at the Faculty of Odontology at Malmo University in Sweden has discovered two new proteins that are of importance to the survival of bacteria and their colonization of the human body. Besides enhancing our knowledge of the ability of bacteria to spread, the findings may also lead to more effective treatment of endocarditis and infections associated with implants.
Researchers from the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California will present new findings at the American Diabetes Association"s scientific sessions June 5 - 9 in New Orleans, LA.
Adding AZD3355, a novel GABAB receptor agonist, to a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) in patients with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), resulted in a 35% reduction in the mean total number of reflux episodes 0-24 hours after dose, compared with placebo.[i] These data were presented at the Digestive Diseases Week annual meeting (DDW®, 30 May - 4 June, Chicago).
Meridian Bioscience, Inc. (NASDAQ: VIVO) announced that it has received FDA clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a new rapid test for Campylobacter, ImmunoCard STAT!® CAMPY. This new test provides fast and accurate detection of Campylobacter bacteria, one of the most common causes of diarrheal illness and the most common bacterial cause of foodborne illness in the United States. Approximately 20 million stool culture tests are conducted each year in the U.S. to detect the illness, known as Campylobacteriosis. Campylobacter is most often transmitted by poorly cooked poultry or person-to-person contact.
"Flying into a developing country, operating on people for a few days or weeks and flying out again helps individual persons but has nothing to do with sustainable development work." Professor Martin Salzer, Vice-president of "Austrian Doctors for Disabled" -- the Austrian society for medical development assistance -- is convinced that "it makes even less sense to fly in people from such countries for difficult operations, as humanitarian the motive may be. That money can be invested more effectively." For the group of physicians and medically interested persons around Prof. Salzer it is a question of sustainability in the field of development cooperation, something to which they can contribute their medical experience. "After care for the disability or sickness, our concern is networked interdisciplinary and sustainable rehabilitation. We also hope to thereby make a contribution toward combating poverty" Prof. Salzer says in summing up the main concern of the organization.
The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) launched its World Diabetes Day campaign under the slogan "Understand diabetes and take control."
Journalist, Malini Guha, has won the prestigious new Advances in Renal Cancer Journalists" Award - Europe for her article "New Advances Deliver Fresh Hope in Kidney Cancer" - which was published in Scrip World Pharmaceutical News on February 13th 2009.
Doctors and other health workers should be more aware of the high risk of eating disorders among people with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and other anxiety disorders.
US researchers found that a drug made from the root of the hydrangea plant, which has for centuries been used in Chinese medicine, showed
Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists have sequenced the genome
Nearly 2 in 3 U.S. adults (63%) think that it is important that dental coverage is part of an overall health reform package, and 40 percent say it is very important, according to a new public opinion survey commissioned by Oral Health America. The survey, sponsored by the Dental Trade Alliance Foundation, and conducted by Harris Interactive(R), was released today at the launch of National Smile Month, the largest independent international campaign promoting good dental care including brushing, regular dental visits, and healthy food choices as well as the need for effective oral healthcare policies.
Dandruff affects the scalp and causes flakes of skin to appear - it is a common condition. Our skin cells are forever renewing themselves. When the skin cells on our scalp are renewed the old ones are pushed to the surface and out of the scalp. For a person with dandruff the renewal is faster, meaning more dead skin is shed, making the dandruff more noticeable. Dandruff can also occur if the scalp is frequently exposed to extreme temperatures. Dandruff is also known as scurf - its medical term is Pityriasis capitis.
Can a patient be awake and communicating with the anesthesiologist and surgeon during general anesthesia? With a new "cooperative patient" anesthesia technique, the answer is yes, according to a study in the June issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).
The recent murder of Kansas abortion provider George Tiller has prompted other providers nationwide to reassess their need for protective measures against violent actions from opponents of abortion rights, the AP/San Francisco Chronicle reports. In the days following Tiller"s murder, many clinic officials nationwide said that they had contacted law enforcement and examined their existing security measures. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder also ordered the U.S. Marshals Service to provide security to several clinicians and facilities. According to the AP/Chronicle, violence against abortion providers in the 1980s and 1990s forced many to take various precautionary measures in and around their clinics, while some underwent training to protect themselves.Kate Michelman, former president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, said the election of former President George W. Bush, an abortion-rights opponent, helped alleviate some violence against abortion providers. However, she said that she believes Tiller"s murder might indicate the situation is changing during the first months of President Obama"s administration. Obama has rejected abortion-rights opponents" calls for restrictions on the procedure and also reversed the "global gag rule," or "Mexico City" policy.Michelman said, "Historically, when those who oppose a woman"s right to decide are frustrated politically, they get more violent," adding, "I have been thinking about this ever since the [Obama] election." She said that some providers will remain fearful even though she believes clinics are now safe. "In the end ... if someone is out to get you and they are determined and have a chorus encouraging them, ... there"s not much you can do to stop them," Michelman said. Provider LeRoy Carhart, who provided abortion services at Tiller"s clinic, said that people who commit violence against abortion providers should be charged with hate crimes (Hanna, AP/San Francisco Chronicle, 6/3).
Health care supplier Johnson & Johnson will focus on new treatments and improved tests for cancer and other diseases for which company perceives unmet needs, like diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV, as well as using new, Washington-supported research techniques to gauge their effectiveness, researchers and executives said at a briefing with analysts, BusinessWeek reports.
A new two-year trial to test a tuberculosis vaccine aimed at boosting the efficacy of the BCG vaccine is scheduled to begin soon in South Africa, IRIN reports (IRIN, 6/4). The vaccine candidate, called MVA85A, will be tested next month in 2,874 children younger than age one. The new tests will be the "first concept trial of a new preventative TB vaccine for infants in close to 90 years," according to Reuters.
Call it a Breathalyzer for the hands.
Democratic Senators Dick Durbin, Chris Dodd, Jack Reed and Frank Lautenberg joined Matt Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, at a press conference this morning to discuss the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. The legislation will give the Food and Drug Administration legal authority to regulate the sale, distribution and advertising of cigarettes in order to stop tobacco companies from targeting children and misleading the public.
Idaho Technology, Inc. has received the support of the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC) for use of the Platinum Path™ Extraction Kit (PPEK) with the Joint Biological Agent Identification and Diagnostic System (JBAIDS).
ImmunoCellular Therapeutics, Ltd. (OTCBB: IMUC) (IMUC), a biotechnology company, presented promising clinical data from a Phase I trial evaluating ICT-107, the company"s dendritic cell-based cancer vaccine product candidate for the treatment of glioblastoma. These data were reported at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Meeting in Orlando, Florida (Abstract #2032), and supplement the preliminary data from the completed clinical trial that the Company reported in December 2008.
WHAT:
DaVinci Biosciences LLC in collaboration with University of Utah, Southern California Center for Regenerative Medicine and Omni Hospital in Ecuador, announce the discovery of a previously unidentified stem cell population from adult human testis in Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications (BBRC), an international peer-reviewed journal focused on the rapid dissemination of timely and significant experimental results in diverse fields of biological research. Termed gonadal stem cells (GSCs) these adult derived stem cells, unlike previous reported population of stem cells found within the testis, have been found to demonstrate adult stem cell properties. Published in the current journal of Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, the data from this collaborative study describes a multipotent adult stem cell population that has the capacity to readily differentiate into multiple cell types. The study evolved from an international collaboration aimed at identifying novel cell populations at different geographical laboratory locations and for different HLA types.
A new report, issued by an expert committee convened by the AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges) and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), for the first time defines scientific competencies for future medical school graduates and for undergraduate students who want to pursue a career in medicine.
The decriminalisation of dispensing errors is an issue that has united the profession.
Mark Lever, NAS chief executive said; "In the current economic climate the Government cannot possibly ignore the huge cost savings and benefits, identified by their own auditing body, of providing adults with autism with the right support at the right time. Neither the Government, people with autism nor the taxpayer are getting value for money from existing autism services and support, leaving those affected by the condition feeling isolated, ignored and often at breaking point. This is simply unacceptable.
The long-awaited results of the Bypass Angioplasty Revascularization Investigation in Type 2 Diabetes (BARI 2D) study, a multicenter trial led by the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, were reported at a symposium here today at the American Diabetes Association"s 69th Scientific Sessions.
The National Audit Office (NAO) on Friday released findings from a new report exploring the problems and challenges of supporting adults with autism. The aim of the report was to assess current service provision in areas including: health, social care, education, benefits and employment support. It also identified how these areas could be made more effective, efficient and appropriate to the needs of adults with autism and their carers.
Cancer Research Technology (CRT) and The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) announced a major research collaboration with AstraZeneca. The three partners will combine their expertise to discover and develop potential new anti-cancer drugs to target molecular "chaperones" which support the growth of cancer cells.
MAQUET Cardiovascular LLC announced that data presented at the annual meeting of the International Society for Minimally Invasive Cardiothoracic Surgery show that administration of a heparin bolus with doses as low as 2500U prior to endoscopic vein harvest (EVH) was associated with improved acute saphenous vein (SV) graft patency in patients undergoing off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB). Pre-heparinization was also linked to a significant reduction in the incidence and volume of residual clot strands within the vein.
Research presented at the American Diabetes Association"s 69th Scientific Sessions points to increased risk for people with diabetes associated with two widely used drug classes; while another study shed new light on a different class of drugs that faced increased scrutiny from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
New data show that Afinitor(R) (everolimus) tablets significantly shrunk tumors in 33% of patients with relapsed non-Hodgkin"s lymphoma (NHL) and Hodgkin"s disease(1). Based on results from this study and other early-stage research, Novartis has initiated a Phase III trial in the most common NHL, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).
Amgen Inc. (Nasdaq: AMGN) today released the results of a new study comparing Nplate(R) (romiplostim) to the medical standard of care (SOC) in non-splenectomised adult patients with chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). Chronic ITP is a serious autoimmune disorder characterised by low platelet counts in the blood (thrombocytopenia), which can lead to serious bleeding events. The study results show Nplate significantly reduced the incidences of splenectomy and treatment failures in non-splenectomised adult patients with chronic ITP when compared to medical SOC. The results were presented today as an oral presentation at the 14th congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA abstract #1672).
Free to Be, a federally-funded organization in California that teaches abstinence-only sex education to students, is at the center of a debate with education officials and others in Sonoma County over whether their curriculum is in compliance with state rules requiring that sexual health education programs in public schools be "balanced" and include information on sexually transmitted infections such as HIV and contraception, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat reports. Sonoma County Office of Education officials in May banned the group from giving any further presentations on public school campuses, citing state law. Free to Be, as well as several school superintendents from around the county, said they are currently reviewing their legal options (Benefield, Santa Rosa Press Democrat, 6/7).
Miami Herald Interviews UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibç©
Industry groups reacted "warily" this weekend to a draft of the Senate HELP (Health, Education, Labor and Pensions) Committee"s health overhaul plan. The first details emerged late Friday and lobbyists began speaking up, USA Today reports:
A study in the New England Journal of Medicine has found common surgical interventions and stents, the expensive medical devices used in bypass surgeries, are no more effective at preventing death, heart attacks and strokes in diabetic patients than less expensive drugs, the Wall Street Journal reports. The study, which included 2,368 patients, is representative of new interest in head-to-head comparisons of treatments.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Friday said it is "way too early to know" whether Senate Republicans will attempt to filibuster the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor, President Obama"s nominee for the Supreme Court, the AP/Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. Although other Senate Republicans have said that they do not plan to filibuster a vote on Sotomayor, McConnell said that Senate Democrats established a precedent of filibustering former President George W. Bush"s nominees. However, he added that he believes blocking votes on judges is generally a "bad idea." Senate Judiciary Committee ranking member Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) has said a filibuster is unlikely, and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) has said that Republicans do not have the votes or the desire to mount a filibuster against Sotomayor. Senate Democrats hope to have confirmation hearings for Sotomayor in July, followed by a full Senate vote before the August recess. Senate Republicans are hoping to push back the hearings until September to give them more time to review her judicial record.Antiabortion Groups Circulate 1998 Legal Brief Abortion-rights opponents on Friday circulated a 1998 legal brief supporting abortion rights that the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund joined while Sotomayor was on the fund"s board. The brief -- which was submitted to the Supreme Court to support a challenge to a Missouri law that made it illegal to use public facilities for abortion services -- warned of "the danger of tampering with the core framework of Roe v. Wade." The brief added that the law would disproportionately affect poor women of color. According to the AP/Star Tribune, there is nothing to indicate that Sotomayor had any role in drafting the brief.PRLDEF President Cesar Perales said that although its board helps determine which legal issues the organization should focus on, it is not involved with deciding which cases to take on. Charmaine Yoest of Americans United for Life said, "That specific case makes it very difficult for [Sotomayor] to say that she doesn"t have a position" on abortion rights (Hirschfeld Davis, AP/Minneapolis Star Tribune, 6/5).Senate Judiciary Committee Approves Two Federal Judges In related news, the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday voted to approve two of Obama"s federal judge nominees, Roll Call reports. The committee voted 12-7 to approve David Hamilton to fill a vacancy in the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and voted 16-3 to approve Andre Davis to fill a vacancy on the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals. The votes were delayed two weeks because of requests from panel Republicans. This week, the committee will consider the nomination of Judge Gerard Lynch to fill a vacancy on the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals (Brady, Roll Call, 6/4).
PLC Systems Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: PLCSF), a company focused on innovative cardiac and vascular medical device-based technologies, announced that it will demonstrate its RenalGuard System(TM) at EuroPCR, the annual meeting of the European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions (EAPCI), May 19-22, 2009, in Barcelona, Spain. More than 11,000 clinicians and professionals are expected to attend this event.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced revised guidelines for potato cyst nematode (PCN) that will allow continued trade of seed potatoes between the two countries. While PCN does not pose a risk to human health, it is recognized internationally as a destructive plant pest of economic importance and, therefore, a quarantine pest for the United States and Canada.
Hemophilia A is an inherited bleeding disease caused by a lack of the blood clotting protein Factor VIII. It had been hoped that gene therapy would provide a breakthrough in treatment, but the most common gene therapy approach has had little clinical success. However, a team of researchers, at the University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, has now developed a new approach to target genes specifically to mouse liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (the cells that are the main of Factor VIII) and used it to provide long-term expression of Factor VIII in hemophilia A mice, markedly reducing their disease. They hope that their data might prove to be a step toward successful human clinical trials in individuals with hemophilia A.
AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges) President and CEO Darrell G. Kirch, M.D., issued the following statement today on U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius"s recent announcement that the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) would provide nearly 3,300 new loan repayments for health professions training. The $200 million in repayment funds were made possible by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA):
Radiologists, like professional pilots for example, depend on good vision as part of their occupation. However, radiologists unlike pilots are not required to undergo regular vision testing. A new study found that approximately 50% of radiologists surveyed indicated they don"t recall ever having their vision tested or it had been 24 months or longer since their last vision exam.
According to a research abstract presented on June 8 at SLEEP 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, in the presence of free access to food, sleep restricted subjects reported decrease in appetite, food cravings and food consumption; however, they gained weight over the course of the study. Thus, the finding suggests that energy intake exceeded energy expenditure during the sleep restriction
Napping may have a significant influence on young children"s daytime functioning, according to a research abstract presented on Monday, June 8 at SLEEP 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that Clarcon Biological Chemistry Laboratory Inc. of Roy, Utah, is voluntarily recalling some skin sanitizers and skin protectants marketed under several different brand names because of high levels of disease-causing bacteria found in the product during a recent inspection. The FDA is warning consumers to not use any Clarcon products.
The California State Assembly passed Assemblymember Hector De La Torre"s (D-South Gate) Assembly Bill 2 that prevents the insurance industry from unfairly rescinding patients" healthcare policies without oversight from a state regulator with a 46-24 vote.
Alzheimer"s disease and its precursor, mild cognitive impairment, appear to be associated with an increased risk of death among both white and African American older adults according to a new, long-term research study by neurological experts at the Alzheimer"s Disease Center at Rush University Medical Center. The study findings are published in the June issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
A breakthrough in the treatment of cancer and an unexpected finding about the life span of blood clotting cells have led Victorian scientist Dr Kylie Mason to be awarded the prestigious 2009 Premier"s Award for Public Health and Medical Research.
Four well-known risk factors for heart attack significantly increased the size of the heart"s left ventricle, a key precursor of heart failure, according to a study in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Health professionals across the world can now get on-the-spot access to expert opinion, guidelines and the latest clinical evidence on their mobile phone.
Three top researchers corrected inaccuracies and misunderstandings concerning high fructose corn syrup"s impact on the American diet. They also examined how the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) considers this sweetener in light of the upcoming 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans in a session, High Fructose Corn Syrup: Sorting Myth from Reality, at the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meeting in Anaheim, California.
Micro Imaging Technology, Inc. (OTCBB: MMTC) announced that it has received AOAC Research Institute (AOAC RI) Performance Test Method™ (PTM) certification for the MIT 1000 System"s (System) identification of Listeria species (PTM Certificate Number 060901). Listeria are known to be the bacteria responsible for listeriosis, a rare but lethal food-borne infection that has a devastating case fatality rate of 25% (Salmonella, in comparison, has a less than 1% mortality rate). They are incredibly hardy and able to grow in temperatures ranging from 4°C (39°F), the temperature of a refrigerator, to 37°C (99°F), the body"s internal temperature. Furthermore, listeriosis" deadliness can be partially attributed to the infection"s ability to spread to the nervous system and cause meningitis.
As many as fifteen million American women suffer from a disabling medical condition known as fibromyalgia. In the medical community, sides have been drawn over whether fibromyalgia is a genuine syndrome or a catchall diagnosis based on vague clinical criteria. In The Fibromyalgia Controversy, M. Clement Hall, MD presents an unbiased overview of the fibromyalgia situation today and reviews the most up-to-date opinions and studies on this condition and its surrounding controversy.
CSIRO Food Futures National Research Flagship and Australian company Stadvis Pty Ltd have signed a worldwide license agreement to commercialise an automated instrument that accurately predicts glycemic index (GI) and resistant starch (RS) in food products.
For car designers, secret agents in the movies and jet fighter pilots, data eyeglasses - also called head-mounted displays, or HMDs for short - are everyday objects. They transport the wearer into virtual worlds or provide the user with data from the real environment. At present these devices can only display information. "We want to make the eyeglasses bidirectional and interactive so that new areas of application can be opened up," says Dr. Michael Scholles, business unit manager at the Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems IPMS in Dresden. A group of scientists at IPMS is working on a device which incorporates eye tracking - users can influence the content presented by moving their eyes or fixing on certain points in the image. Without having to use any other devices to enter instructions, the wearer can display new content, scroll through the menu or shift picture elements. Scholles believes that the bidirectional data eyeglasses will yield advantages wherever people need to consult additional information but do not have their hands free to operate a keyboard or mouse. The Dresden-based researchers have integrated their system"s eye tracker and image reproduction on a CMOS chip. This makes the HMDs small, light, easy to manufacture and inexpensive.
As stroma - the supportive framework of the prostate gland- react to prostate cancer, changes in the expression of genes occur that induce the formation of new structures such as blood vessels, nerves and parts of nerves, said researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in a report that appears in the current issue of the journal Clinical Cancer Research.
An electrolyte is "any compound that, in solution or in molten form, conducts electricity and is decomposed (electrolyzed) by it. It is an ionizable substance in solution" (Medilexicon"s medical dictionary). An electrolyte is any substance that contains free ions that behaves as an electrically conductive medium (conducts electricity). All higher forms of life cannot exist without electrolytes, and that includes humans.
Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: JAZZ) announced that data from the company"s first Phase III clinical trial of sodium oxybate (JZP-6) for the treatment of fibromyalgia will be presented this week during the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS) 2009 Annual Meeting in Seattle, Washington and also during the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) Congress in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ISIS) announced that Isis" antisense drugs were highlighted with eight presentations (including three oral talks and two late-breaking posters) during the American Diabetes Association"s (ADA) 69th Scientific Sessions in New Orleans by Isis and its collaborators. Isis" scientists presented new preclinical data on ISIS-SGLT2Rx showing a robust and sustained reduction in sodium dependent glucose co-transporter type 2 (SGLT2) levels that resulted in a significant reduction in blood glucose levels in multiple animal species. Isis and its collaborators also presented data on a number of other promising new targets demonstrating that reducing levels of these targets with antisense drugs can significantly lower blood glucose levels and increase the body"s sensitivity to insulin. Additionally, data was presented from Isis" anti-obesity drug discovery program showing antisense drugs reduced fat mass and body weight in animals by reducing levels of targets in peripheral tissues such as liver and fat without affecting the central nervous system, further validating Isis" anti-obesity therapeutic strategy.
United Therapeutics Corporation (Nasdaq: UTHR) and Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) today announced the results of a pivotal 16-week study showing that a once-daily dose of tadalafil was generally well tolerated, improved exercise capacity and improved time to clinical worsening in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH)(1). The randomized, double-blind, 16-week, placebo-controlled Phase 3 study followed 405 patients with PAH, either treatment-naive or taking bosentan, randomized to placebo or tadalafil 2.5 mg, 10 mg, 20 mg or 40 mg orally. Results from the study entitled, "Tadalafil Therapy for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension," were published in today"s issue of Circulation.
A Brown University professor is among the first in the country to win a federal research grant funded by national economic stimulus efforts.
Protesting what they call a "dangerous and frightening" reduction in medical res, Registered Nurses from UCSF will picket their hospital this Wednesday, calling on administrators to immediately withdraw their proposal to increase patient loads for nurses by 25 to 100 percent.
A majority of Southwesterners - 86 percent - think the U.S. health care system is in need of some reform, and more than half - 53 percent - indicate "a great deal of reform" is needed, according to the most recent Arizona State University-Southwest Poll.
The AP/Washington Post examines attempts to create a live vaccine and mutant mosquitoes to fight malaria.
Low blood glucose levels do not explain the excess deaths seen in the intensive control group of the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) trial, according to a report presented here today at the American Diabetes Association"s 69th Scientific Sessions.
UroToday.com - Angiogenesis is thought to be important in many chronic inflammatory disorders, including diabetic retinopathy, atherosclerosis, and inflammatory bowel disease. It has also been suggested that the angiogenic components of these diseases contribute to and exacerbate disease conditions. Increased levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) have been detected in patients with asthma and have been shown to be correlated with the severity of the disease. Anti-VEGF therapy has been shown to ameliorate inflammation in animal models of chronic inflammatory bowel disease. This background forms the prelude to a very interested study by Kiuchi and colleagues from Osaka, Japan.
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) thanked contributors for enabling a swift response to the humanitarian crisis
Small LDL (sLDL) is the most harmful form of cholesterol! People with small LDL are five times as likely to have cardiovascular disease. However, most laboratories do not test for it. Randox provides an easy to use sLDL test to help assess cardiovascular disease risk.
Abbott Park, Illinois (NYSE: ABT) and London, UK - Abbott and AstraZeneca announced that the companies have submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for an investigational compound for the treatment of mixed dyslipidemia, a combination of two or more lipid abnormalities including high LDL- cholesterol (the "bad" cholesterol), high triglycerides and low HDL-cholesterol (the "good" cholesterol). The NDA submission for this investigational compound, containing the active ingredients of CRESTOR® (rosuvastatin calcium) and TRILIPIX® (fenofibric acid), is supported by data from multiple studies, including efficacy and safety studies with the 5mg, 10mg and 20mg doses of rosuvastatin combined with fenofibric acid. Pending approval of the NDA, the treatment will be marketed as CERTRIAD™.
According to a research abstract that will be presented on Wednesday, June 10, at SLEEP 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, getting more high-quality sleep is associated with better academic performance. The positive relationship is especially relevant to performance in math.
Almost three-quarters (74%) of people providing unpaid care for a loved
The General Optical Council (GOC) has launched a consultation on its proposed Welsh Language Scheme. Anyone with an interest in the GOC"s work is encouraged to offer their suggestions and feedback on the draft proposals.
Stellar Pharmaceuticals Inc. ("Stellar" or the "Company") (OTCBB:SLXCF) is pleased to announce that its United States licensee, Watson Pharma, Inc. ("Watson") (NYSE:WPI), has received a conditional approval of their Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) to conduct clinical work with Uracyst® from The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States of America ("USA"). This will allow Watson to continue to move their Uracyst® development program forward towards the eventual approval for the sale of Uracyst® in USA. The conditional approval allows Watson to begin a blinded, placebo-controlled, pilot clinical trial in 100 subjects at 20 clinical study centers in the USA.
Researchers in Japan have detected a peptide in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) that can show whether a person is developing Alzheimer"s disease. Measuring the level of this peptide could show that the disease process has started, long before any serious damage is done to the brain.
A team of U.S. investigators led by neuroscientists at Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) are steadily uncovering the role that amyloid precursor protein (APP) - the protein implicated in development of Alzheimer"s disease - plays in normal brain function. In the June 10 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, they discovered that APP interacts with another protein known as Reelin to promote development of abundant connections between brain neurons.
While back pain, blurred vision and mouse-related injuries are now well-documented hazards of long-term computer use, the number of acute injuries connected to computers is rising rapidly. According to a study published in the July 2009 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers from the Center for Injury Research and Policy and The Research Institute at Nationwide Children"s Hospital; and The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus have found a more-than-sevenfold increase in computer-related injuries due to tripping over computer equipment, head injuries due to computer monitor falls and other physical incidents.
According to a research abstract presented at SLEEP 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, patients suffering from chronic primary insomnia (PIs) have higher levels of brain activation compared to normal sleepers during a working memory test.
Considerable discrepancies have been reported between diagnoses of colorectal epithelial neoplastic lesions made by Western and Japanese pathologists from endoscopic cold biopsies and resected specimens of the same lesions
By mid-century, people may be fleeing rising seas, droughts, floods and other effects of changing climate, in migrations that could vastly exceed the scope of anything before, says a major new report. The document, authored by researchers at Columbia University"s Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), the United Nations University and CARE International, was released at a news conference in Bonn.
Scientists at Weill Cornell Medical College have developed a new mouse model of Parkinson"s disease (PD) that successfully reproduces the impairments of movement and the degenerative brain changes that occur in the human disease. Their research, performed in collaboration with investigators at Columbia University Medical Center, appears in the June 7 issue of the journal Nature Neuroscience.
The European Parkinson"s Disease Association (EPDA) announces
Researchers at McGill University and the affiliated Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research at Montreal"s Jewish General Hospital - along with colleagues at the University of Manitoba and the University of British Columbia - may have found a chink in the armour of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), the microorganism which causes AIDS. They have pinpointed the key cellular machinery co-opted by HIV-1 to hijack the human cell for its own benefit. Their study was published in May in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
Researchers trying to uncover why premature birth is a growing problem in the United States and one that disproportionately affects black women have found that pre-pregnancy depressive mood appears to be a risk factor in preterm birth among both blacks and whites.
EyeIC, an innovator of eye care solutions for ophthalmologists and optometrists, announced today that its MatchedFlicker(TM) technology has received FDA 510(k) clearance from the United States Food & Drug Administration (FDA). MatchedFlicker is a device-agnostic, software-only solution that uses time series retinal photographs to help doctors monitor the advent and progress of glaucoma faster and with accuracy now available to only a few experts.
With the start of the rainy season, Francisco Duque III, health secretary in the Philippines, on Tuesday emphasized a continued government commitment to controlling and preventing dengue - a disease for which there is currently no vaccine or specific drug, the Manila Times reports.
Pfizer on Thursday announced a new program that would provide some of its existing customers access to more than 70 types of medications at no cost if they have recently been laid off or lost their prescription drug coverage, USA Today reports. The program -- called MAINTAIN, or Medicines Assistance for Those who Are in Need -- will begin July 1. To receive the drugs, individuals must show that they have been unemployed since Jan. 1 and that they no longer have prescription drug insurance. They also must prove that they cannot pay for their medications and that they were taking a medication listed under the program for at least three months prior to losing their jobs. Those who meet the eligibility requirements would receive their medications at no cost for up to one year, or until they have insurance coverage. Pfizer will accept applications through Dec. 31 (Petrecca, USA Today, 5/15).According to the AP/Detroit News, medications listed for the new patient drug-assistance program include some of Pfizer"s "top money makers," such as the anti-cholesterol drug Lipitor, the painkiller Celebrex, the fibromyalgia treatment Lyrica and the impotency treatment Viagra (Johnson, AP/Detroit News, 5/14).Ray Kerins, a spokesperson for Pfizer, declined to reveal how much the program would cost the pharmaceutical company or how many potential customers might benefit from it (Bloomberg/Miami Herald, 5/15).According to the AP/News, the program "could earn Pfizer some goodwill" after "long being a target of critics of drug industry prices and sales practices" (AP/Detroit News, 5/14). Scott Morgan, president of ad agency Brunner, said, "It goes beyond goodwill. There"s definitely a marketing strategy behind this about defending against generics and maintaining your consumer base. ... It"s a pretty savvy move" (USA Today, 5/15).
Seventy-three percent of insured patients receiving assistance from Patient Access Network (PAN) Foundation reported that health care costs are influencing their medication and treatment decisions more this year than last. Nearly half of these said that cost is having a "very big" or "big" impact on whether they seek treatment or fill prescriptions.
"Immigrant and health-care advocacy groups" are calling on New Jersey to "restore $1 million in funding that has been eliminated in the latest round of budget tightening," the AP/Philadelphia Inquirer reports. "The money was earmarked for community-outreach efforts to educate legal immigrants on available state health programs." A report released yesterday by Rutgers University concluded that "New Jersey"s percentage of uninsured immigrant children is higher than the national average, and the state has a poor track record of making sure those children receive health coverage."
After the murder of abortion provider George Tiller and the closure of his Wichita, Kan., clinic, residents of the city face about a three-hour drive to the nearest abortion provider, a distance experts say is not uncommon for access to abortion services in southern and midwestern states, the Wichita Eagle reports. Jenny O"Donnell of the Abortion Access Project said that southern and midwestern states have the heaviest restrictions on abortion, adding that "substantial populations don"t have an abortion provider" in states such as Mississippi and Arkansas. According to 2005 statistics from the Guttmacher Institute, 87% of U.S. counties have no abortion provider; the figure rises to 94% of counties in the Midwest and 96% of counties in Kansas. The number of abortion providers in Kansas declined from 15 in 1992 to seven in 2005, while the number of providers nationwide dropped from 2,380 to 1,787 over the same time period, according to Guttmacher. Experts say the decline is the result of several factors, including public pressures, increased regulation that has driven up the cost and complexity of providing abortion and a general trend in the health care industry toward consolidated, more specialized practices.Vicki Saporta, president and CEO of the National Abortion Federation, said that the decrease in the number of abortion providers is misleading on some levels. The decline primarily has occurred among hospitals and small providers who perform a few procedures a year, while major clinics that specialize in abortion have remained essentially stable, Saporta said. Peter Brownie, executive director of Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri, said that the group"s clinics have experienced an increase in contacts from women from south-central Kansas since Tiller"s clinic closed a little more than one week ago. He added, "At the present time, there"s no place between Denver and Kansas City where a woman can obtain abortion care. That"s a significant barrier for women throughout the state that have that need." NAF has established a national hotline to offer referrals for women who have to make new arrangements for abortion care because of the closure of Tiller"s clinic, Saporta said (Lefler, Wichita Eagle, 6/9).
Cancer patients who are older than 65 years have poorer physical health and, in some cases, mental health when compared with people of the same age group without cancer, according to a study in the June 9 online issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
He"s already shown that a blue curing light stunts tumor growth. Now the senior in the Medical College of Georgia School of Dentistry is trying to identify the proteins responsible.
Can $167 million in provincial funding make a difference to Ontario"s community mental health system? According to the results from the Systems Enhancement Evaluation Initiative (SEEI), the answer is yes. Ontarians now have access to more appropriate community mental health services. But, the research also highlights the system"s limited res to serve all those in need.
New Jersey state Sen. Joseph Vitale (D) -- chair of the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee -- earlier this week proposed a plan to temporarily reduce rebate checks to senior citizens earning $100,000 to $150,000 in an effort to alleviate the effects of possible budget cuts on certain populations, the Newark Star-Ledger reports. Vitale"s proposal also would avert planned $6 to $15 prescription drug copayments for people living with HIV/AIDS in the state (Livio, Newark Star-Ledger, 5/12). The copayments are part of Gov. Jon Corzine"s (D) $29.8 billion spending proposal for the state"s new fiscal year and would collect $1.36 million by creating copayments for HIV/AIDS drugs based on a sliding scale determined by income. The copayments would affect 9,000 people living with HIV/AIDS who have obtained no-cost medicine from the state because they do not qualify for other assistance programs. Advocates said that the copayments will hurt patients who are already struggling because of the poor economy (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 4/23). According to the Star-Ledger, Vitale"s proposal would save the state $15.7 million, including $9.7 million needed to allow 17,000 low-income families to enroll in the state"s health insurance program, FamilyCare. Senate Budget Committee Chair Barbara Buono (D) said that she does not believe it is possible to restore program cuts "given the collapse of revenues." According to the Office of Legislative Services, the current deficit for this year"s budget, which ends June 30, is at least $1.2 billon. Vitale said, "Our convictions are going to be tested as we come to terms with the fact that we simply don"t have enough money to fund all of the state"s priorities." He added, "But unless funding is restored for programs like NJ FamilyCare, Medicaid drug benefits and the AIDS Drug Distribution Program, I will be voting against the" fiscal year 2010 budget (Newark Star-Ledger, 5/12).
Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has classified Medtronic"s previously announced physician advisory about a small subset of Kappa® and Sigma® series pacemakers, identified at increased susceptibility for separation of bonded interconnect wires from the electronic circuit, as a Class I recall. Notification to U.S. FDA, physicians and patients began May 18, 2009. As of the date of this news release, more than 95 percent of physicians following affected devices in the United States have confirmed receipt of the notification. The FDA"s classification of Medtronic"s Important Patient Safety Information does not alter the patient management recommendations already provided in the May 2009 letter, and physicians need not take any new action.
Hawaii-based Kai Sensors announced it has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) clearance for the Kai Sensors Non-Contact Respiratory Rate Spot Check, also called the Kai RSpot. The 510(k) clearance allows Kai Sensors to market the Kai RSpot to physicians, hospitals, and clinics.
Older mice are more susceptible to proteoglycan-induced arthritis (PGIA). Researchers writing in BioMed Central"s open access journal Immunity & Ageing have shown, for the first time, that young mice are completely resistant, but become fully susceptible to the disease with age.
A former physical therapy patient from Prince George"s County, Maryland, grateful for the physical therapy he received years after contracting polio, but always wishing he had received it sooner, has made, through his estate, a significant financial gift to the Foundation for Physical Therapy.
Xcelience, a leader in early drug development services, has developed a faster, more cost effective path to Phase I studies using Xcelodose® 600 and 600 S precision powder micro-dosing systems (Xcelodose® is a registered trademark of Capsugel® BVBA). API into Capsule projects are on average completed 45 percent faster than traditional formulation efforts, and in some specific cases we have saved our clients as much as 17 weeks.
Health officials in Allegheny County, Pa., on Wednesday held a sexually transmitted infection diversity conference to discuss the disproportionately higher STI rates among blacks and strategies to reduce them, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. Blacks comprise 13.5% of the Allegheny County population. According to the Post-Gazette, last year in Allegheny County blacks were involved in:
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is an important causative agent in squamous cell cancers of head and neck (HNSCC) a new meta-analysis presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) confirms; but a separate European survey at the same meeting reveals the public is woefully ignorant about it and possible ways to avoid it. Lack of public awareness about the possible link between HPV-related head and neck cancer and oral sex with multiple partners presents a case for making vaccinations against HPV more widely available to boys as well as girls before they become sexually active, commented leading expert Professor Jean-Louis Lefebvre of Centre Oscar Lambret, Lille, France.
New Era examines discussions at the meeting over how "an acute scarcity of financial res is threatening to set back the commendable strides achieved in the global fight against HIV/AIDS pandemic within the next three to five years." The Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria"s Director for the Africa Unit Fareed Abdullah said during a news briefing at the conference, "There is no[t] enough money on the table for antiretroviral (ARV) treatments. It is a massive conundrum. The funding gap would start to hit in the period going forward."