| Red Cross Asks America To Help Raise $30 Million In 30 Days
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| The American Red Cross is asking people across the nation to help disaster victims by raising $30 million in 30 days. This holiday season push will put the final touch on the $100 million goal for the Red Cross Campaign for Disaster Relief. Already, the campaign has raised nearly $70 million since its launch in September, and the Red Cross hopes to meet its target before the year ends. |
| Walkable Environments Encourage Kids' Use Of Recreational Facilities
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| Youth are more likely to utilize recreational facilities when they can access them quickly and safely, according to a study in the December issue of Medicine&Science in Sports&Exercise®, the official scientific journal of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). Mollie Greves Grow, M.D. |
| Step Ahead For PBC
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| The NHS Alliance/Humana PBC Partnership, supported by Dr Foster Intelligence, is among the five providers appointed by the Department of Health to support the PBC Development Framework for Strategic Health Authorities, Primary Care Trusts and practice-based commissioners. |
| Blue Cross Blue Shield Of Massachusetts Offers Its Members The Ability To Link To Google Health Personal Health Records
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| Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBSMA) announced today that its members can now import their BCBSMA healthhistory into their own Google Health?Personal Health Record (PHR). BCBSMA is the first health insurance company to integrate on the Google Health platform allowing BCBSMA members to import their personal health information into their Google Health Account. |
| Diamyd Medical: Diamyd(R) Diabetes Vaccine-Three Blockbuster Indications
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| As reported in New England Journal of Medicine (Oct 30, 2008), Diamyd®preserves insulin producing beta cells best in patients recently diagnosed with the disease. Beta cell destruction is a consecutive process, eventually leading to the need for life-long treatment with insulin. Diamyd®given before clinical presentation could hence prevent the onset of the disease. |
| Del Medical Systems Group Launches TITAN Family Of Digital Radiographic Systems
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| Del Global Technologies Corp. (OTCBB: DGTC) ("Del Global" or "the Company") announced that it will sell and market the TITAN digital radiographic product line. Del Medical will feature the TITAN digital radiographic imaging systems at booth # 4234 at the RSNA 2008 Annual Meeting and Exposition, which is being held November 30-December 5, 2008 in Chicago, IL. |
| Armed Forces Institute Of Pathology To Conduct NanoViricides Animal Studies Against Bird Flu
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| NanoViricides, Inc. (OTC BB: NNVC.OB) (the "Company"), announced today that they have executed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP). This joint R&D effort will enable AFIP scientists to test the effectiveness of several NanoViricides, Inc. anti-viral nanomedicines against deadly bird flu viruses (H5N1) at their facilities. |
| VERTICOR Has Received Patent Pending Status For Its New VClipseTP Cervical Plating System
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| Utilizing the design input of some of the industry's leading surgeons in spine stabilization procedures, VERTICOR's new Patent Pending VClipseTP Cervical Plating System is currently in the final stages of testing. |
| Tracking Eye Disorders In Statin Users; Predicting Visual Outcomes For Wounded Soldiers; Improving Glaucoma Tests With Patient Input
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| This month's Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, reports on eye disorders that may occur in people taking statins, on a new system that predicts soldiers' visual recovery after combat eye trauma, and on use of glaucoma patients' opinions to improve testing and treatment. |
| Joppel's Online Tool Makes Choosing Medicare Plans Easier For Seniors
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| Joppel Corp. announced today the launch of its powerful Medicare-plan search tool for consumers. The Web-based application, available at Joppel.com, is a free tool designed to search Medicare Advantage, Medicare Prescription Drug (Part D) and Medicare Supplement (Medigap) health plans simultaneously from all insurance carriers to match consumers to the plan that fits their coverage needs. |
| 3D X-ray Orthopedic Imaging System EOS Better Image Quality That CR
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| Biospace med announced today that data from a clinical study of its FDA-cleared 'EOS' 3D x-ray orthopedic imaging system conducted by a Montreal-based hospital-"EOS: A New Breed of X-Ray Imager Using Low-Dose Slot-Scanning to Achieve High-Quality Images"-showed that the EOS ultra-low-dose orthopedic |
| U.S FDA Grants Pralatrexate Orphan Drug Designation For The Treatment Of Patients With Follicular Lymphoma
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| Allos Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq:ALTH), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of small molecule therapeutics for the treatment of cancer, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted orphan drug designation to the Company's novel antifolate, pralatrexate (PDX), for the treatment of patients with follicular lymphoma. |
| Two Studies Show Benefits Of Removing Tumor Tissue In The Spine Prior To Adjuntive Treatments
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| Two studies, presented this week at the 94th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), concluded a novel technique can improve outcomes for patients with vertebral compression fractures (VCF) caused by malignant tumors in the spine. |
| Stanford Scientists' Discovery Of Virus In Lemur Could Shed Light On AIDS
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| The genome of a squirrel-sized, saucer-eyed lemur from Madagascar may help scientists understand how HIV-like viruses coevolved with primates, according to new research from the Stanford University School of Medicine. The discovery, to be published online on Dec. |
| Next-Generation Noninvasive Diagnostic Technology Shown To Accurately Detect Fetal Down Syndrome In First Trimester Of Pregnancy
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| Sequenom, Inc. |
| Maternal Exposure To Folic Acid Antagonists Increases Risks
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| Exposure to folic acid antagonists during pregnancy is associated with a higher risk of placenta-mediated adverse outcomes suchas preeclampsia, placental abruption, fetal growth restriction or fetal death reports a retrospective cohort study published in CMAJ http://www.cmaj.ca/press/pg1263.pdf. |
| Respiratory Fluoroquinolones Effective In Treating Pneumonia
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| Fluoroquinolones are highly effective in treating community-acquired pneumonia compared withβ-lactams and marolides and result in fewer adverse outcomes, found a meta-analysis conducted by a team of researchers from the Alfa Institute of Biomedical Sciences in Greece and Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts http://www.cmaj.ca/press/pg1269.pdf. |
| Doctors Should Prepare To Handle Angry Patients, For Own Protection And To Avoid Complaints, Says Medical Protection Society
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| The Medical Protection Society is marking Anger Awareness Week by offering advice to doctors who could be confronted by aggressive patients, upset at their perception of some aspect of the service they have received. |
| New Citeline Analysis Finds Substantial Disparity In The Number Of Ongoing Clinical Trials For The Top 20 Biotech Companies
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| Biotech is reclaiming its buzzword status once again, and Citeline authors Christine Blazynski and Tracy DeGregorio look at the top 20 biotech companies in the December issue of GCPj and find significant disparity between the top five companies and the rest of the set. |
| Argonne Scientists Discover Possible Mechanism For Creating 'Handedness' In Biological Molecules
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| The basic molecules that make up all living things have a predetermined chirality or "handedness," similar to the way people are right-or left-handed. This chirality has a profound influence on the chemistry and molecular interactions of living organisms. The inception of chirality from the elementary building blocks of matter is one of the great mysteries of the origin of life. |
| Towards Improved Immunotherapy
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| A study (doi:10.1016/j.clim.2008.07.027) published by Elsevier this month in Clinical Immunology, the official journal of the Clinical Immunology Society (CIS), describes a new method that facilitates the induction of a specific type of immune suppressive cells, called 'regulatory T cells' for therapeutic use. |
| Curbing Hormones' Effects In Obese Patients Could Aid Against Breast Cancer
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| Once-promising drugs that were abandoned in the fight against breast cancer still could be effective in obese patients, new research suggests. In laboratory tests, hormones produced by fat cells stimulate breast cancer cells to migrate and invade surrounding tissues, scientists at Emory University School of Medicine found. |
| Indiana Planned Parenthood Offering Gift Vouchers For Health Care, Contraceptive Services
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| Planned Parenthood of Indiana recently announced that its network of 35 clinics across the state will be selling holiday vouchers for basic health care services, including the recipient's choice of birth control method, AP/Google.com reports. |
| Editorials, Opinion Pieces Respond To World AIDS Day
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| Several newspapers have published editorials and opinion pieces in response to World AIDS Day. Summaries appear below.EditorialsArizona Daily Star: World AIDS Day is a "good time to issue a wake-up call," a Daily Star editorial says, adding, "This scourge has not gone away. It still cannot be cured. No one is known to be immune. |
| Indonesia's AIDS Commission Rejects Bill To Implant Microchips In Some HIV-Positive People
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| Indonesia's National AIDS Commission last week said a provision that would require some people living with HIV/AIDS to be implanted with microchips in the province of Papua is unworkable and a violation of human rights, Reuters India reports. |
| Developed Nations Receive Poor Grades On Report Card Assessing Response To HIV/AIDS
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| Although wealthy countries might be better equipped to provide antiretroviral treatment to HIV-positive people than some developing nations, wealthy nations often are less effective at collecting the data necessary to understand and curb HIV/AIDS, according to a study released last week by AIDS Accountability International, the Financial Times reports. |
| Nuclear Science For Food Security
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| The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) today called for increased investment in a plant breeding technique that could bolster efforts aimed at pulling millions of people out of the hunger trap. IAEA scientists use radiation to produce improved high-yielding plants that adapt to harshclimate conditions such as drought or flood, or that are resistant to certain diseases and insect pests. |
| Eating Eggs When Pregnant Affects Breast Cancer In Offspring
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| A stunning discovery based on epigenetics (the inheritance of propensities acquired in the womb) reveals that consuming choline-a nutrient found in eggs and other foods-during pregnancy may significantly affect breast cancer outcomes for a mother's offspring. This finding by a team of biologists at Boston University is the first to link choline consumption during pregnancy to breast cancer. |
| New Test For Depression
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| A new universal test to predict the risk of someone succumbing to major depression has been developed by UCL (University College London) researchers. The online tool, predictD, could eventually be used by family doctors and local clinics to identify those at risk of depression for whom prevention might be most useful. |
| Scientists Produce Illusion Of Body-Swapping
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| Cognitive neuroscientists at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet (KI) have succeeded in making subjects perceive the bodies of mannequins and other people as their own. The findings are published in the online, open-access journal PLoS ONE, December 3. |
| A Picture Paints More Than A Petabyte Of Data
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| In the age of the petabyte, we all need help digesting and understanding massive amounts of information. In this month's Physics World, a series of features celebrates the ascendance of visual methods that are being used to make meaning of the mountains of scientific data. |
| Johns Hopkins And Makerere University To Collaborate On African Health Education Initiative
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| The Johns Hopkins University has received a $4.97 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to undertake the initial phase of a unique program aimed at improving health outcomes in Uganda and East Africa, in coordination with the Johns Hopkins Center for Global Health, and the Makerere University College of Health Sciences in Kampala, Uganda. |
| Harnessing MiRNA Natural Gene Repressors For Anticancer Therapy
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| Michel Sadelain and colleagues, at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, have developed a new approach to modulate the expression of genes for therapeutic purposes, and used this to mediate effective anticancer therapy in mice. Small, noncoding RNA molecules known as miRNAs are powerful natural repressors of gene expression. |
| DxS And Amgen Enter Into Collaboration To Provide A K-RAS Companion Diagnostic For Vectibix(R) In The United States
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| DxS, a personalised medicine company, has signed an agreement with Amgen Inc. to provide a K-RAS companion diagnostic for Vectibix®(panitumumab) in the United States. |
| New Model Predicts Hot Spots For Mercury In Fish
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| Mercury levels in fish are prompting widespread consumption advisories and uncertainty among consumers over which species are safe to eat. |
| National Patient Choice Survey Latest Results, UK
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| The following statistics were released today by the Department of Health: Report on the National Patient Choice Survey, July 2008, England, and provisional headline results of the September 2008 survey The main findings of the July survey are:--The percentage of patients rec |
| Limited Access To Cardiovascular Treatments In The World's Largest Populations Is Causing Increasing Inequity Between Rich And Poor
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| A new paper released today by The George Institute for International Health is warning a cardiovascular disease based epidemic is gaining pace among many low-and middle-income countries (LMIC), exemplified at its worst in the world's largest populated countries-China and India. |
| Postal Program Brings Good News For Carers, Australia
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| Looking after a loved one with dementia is never easy, but a new UQ program could help carers better cope with the burden. School of Psychology professional doctorate student Zoe Barnett from Taringa is trialling the Coping with Caring Program, which is distributed via the post and aims to help carers identify early warning signs of low mood and anxiety. |
| Obama's Plan To Sign Freedom Choice Of Act Will 'Trigger Harsh Response' From Catholics, Opinion Piece Says
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| President-elect Barack Obama's pledge to sign the Freedom of Choice Act, which "seeks to codify Roe v. Wade into federal law," is "setting up a showdown with the Vatican" and will "trigger a harsh response" from Pope Benedict XVI and "political revolt among practicing American Catholics," columnist Jeffery Kuhner writes in a Washington Times opinion piece. |
| New York Times Magazine Examines Infertility, Surrogacy
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| The New York Times Magazine on Sunday examined the experiences of the author, a New York Times writer, who had multiple miscarriages and ultimately had a child through gestational surrogacy. About 7.3 million people in the U.S. are affected by infertility, according to the advocacy group Resolve. |
| Ariz. Antiabortion Groups Hope For Shift In Policies If Gov. Napolitano Leaves For Obama Cabinet
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| The replacement of Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano (D)--whom President-elect Barack Obama is expected to nominate for secretary of homeland security--with Arizona Secretary of State Jan Brewer (R) would likely shift the state's abortion laws toward more restrictive policies, the Arizona Republic reports. |
| Blacks, MSM Remain Most Affected By HIV/AIDS
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| Monday marks the 20th year for World AIDS Day, and the virus is continuing to affect the black community and men who have sex with men at disproportionate rates, the McClatchy/Detroit Free Press reports (Satyanarayana [1], McClatchy/Detroit Free Press, 11/29). An estimated 56,300 people in the U.S. |
| Newspapers Publish Local Reactions To World AIDS Day
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| Newspapers recently published local reactions to World AIDS Day. Summaries appear belowLos Angeles Times: The Times on Saturday examined efforts by California museums to mark World AIDS Day and acknowledge the "creative loss in the arts community by AIDS." The efforts include various HIV/AIDS-related exhibits. At the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, for example, a 26th century B.C. |
| Chinese Health Officials, UNAIDS Pledge To Fight HIV-Associated Stigma, Discrimination; Reduce Spread Of HIV Among Migrant Workers
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| Chinese health officials and UNAIDS on Sunday pledged to fight HIV-associated stigma and discrimination by displaying a large red ribbon, an international symbol of HIV/AIDS awareness, at the Olympic Bird's Nest stadium in Beijing, AP/Google.com reports. |
| New York Times Editorial Says Congress Should Eliminate 'Unjustified Subsidies' For Private Medicare Advantage Plans
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| "Congress clearly has more work to do to remove unjustified subsidies that prop up many of the most inefficient" private Medicare Advantage plans, according to a New York Times editorial. The editorial is in response to recent analyses published in Health Affairs that found the plans increased costs of the program without improving care, according to the Times. |
| USA Today Examines No-Cost Prescription Drug Samples
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| USA Today on Monday examined how no-cost prescription drug samples can influence physicians' prescribing habits and how health systems across the U.S. are beginning to ban or limit the samples. According to a study published in September in the Southern Medical Journal, more than 90% of U.S. |
| President Bush Reiterates US Governments Global Fight Against HIV/AIDS
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| As the world marked the 20th AIDS Day on December 1st, President G W Bush reiterated his government's commitment to fight HIV/AIDS globally. His statement was followed by President-Elect, Barack Obama, who informed of a national strategy to fight HIV/AIDS. Barack Obama said "Today is World AIDS Day, a day we reaffirm our commitment to fight HIV/AIDS at home and abroad. |
| Caltech Scientists Show Function Of Helical Band In Heart
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| Scientists from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have created images of the heart's muscular layer that show, for the first time, the connection between the configuration of those muscles and the way the human heart contracts. |
| Advocates Energized By Expected Appointment Of Clinton To Secretary Of State Position
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| Women's rights and human rights advocates are "energized" by the expected appointment of Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) to the secretary of state position and hope she will bring a "dramatic new focus" to women's issues worldwide, the Boston Globe reports. |
| Medical Students See Red For HIV And AIDS, Australian Medical Students' Association
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| Medical students across Australia have rallied as part of a nation-wide effort to increase awareness of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), a devastating spectrum of disease afflicting an estimated 33 millions of people across the globe. |
| Launch Of Family Doctor Home Adviser Online, A New Online Health Information Resource
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| The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) in collaboration with Dorling Kindersley (DK) Australia, has launched Family Doctor Home Adviser Online. |
| Fluidigm Secures Licenses To Key Inventions For Detecting Fetal Genetic Characteristics In Maternal Plasma
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| Fluidigm Corporation today announced that it has secured co-exclusive licenses to Stanford University inventions that detect fetal genetic characteristics in maternal plasma, including the use of a combination of digital PCR* and high-throughput sequencing. |
| Fluidigm Secures Licenses To Key Inventions For Detecting Fetal Genetic Characteristics In Maternal Plasma
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| Fluidigm Corporation today announced that it has secured co-exclusive licenses to Stanford University inventions that detect fetal genetic characteristics in maternal plasma, including the use of a combination of digital PCR* and high-throughput sequencing. |
| Breakthrough Breast Cancer In Response To The Publication Of The Cancer Reform Strategy 1 Year On Report Published By The Department Of Health Today
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| Jeremy Hughes, Chief Executive of Breakthrough Breast Cancer says: "The Cancer Reform Strategy (CRS) has made steady progress since its publication last year. Breakthrough is particularly delighted to see our Service Pledge for Breast Cancer-a tool developed to enable health professionals and patients work together towards improved breast cancer services-is highlighted in today's report. |
| Statement From Secretary Of State For Health Alan Johnson, UK
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| "I would like to thank Ofsted, the Healthcare Commission and the Chief Inspector of Constabulary for conducting the Joint Area Review. The details of this case are tragic and deeply disturbing. The report highlights clear failures by the local NHS organisations to communicate properly and share information and expertise. These failures are unacceptable. |
| Five Steps To Saving Lives And Improving Men's Experience Of Prostate Cancer By 2020
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| The Prostate Cancer Charity is launching a new strategy 'Transforming The Future For Prostate Cancer'-which it believes could reduce mortality rates by 30 per cent. The strategy, which will be unveiled at a special event next Monday (1 December), outlines ambitious goals and targets for vital changes the Charity believes are necessary to improve men's experience of prostate cancer by 2020. |
| Action For Children Response To The Published Findings From The Ofsted Report On Haringey
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| In response to the published findings from the Ofsted report on Haringey, Shaun Kelly, Head of Safeguarding at Action for Children, says: "Sadly, as the recent tragic case has highlighted, there are lessons still to be learnt on how to protect children from harm. |
| American Indian Health Care Advocates, Lawmakers Look To Next Administration For Passing Of Reauthorization Bill
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| With Congress expected to adjourn for the year without passing the Health Care Improvement Act reauthorization bill (S 1200), Senate Indian Affairs Committee Chair Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) and American Indian leaders are looking to the incoming Obama administration for support, the Fargo Forum reports. |
| MIDIRS Announces Landmark Partnership With The NCT, UK
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| International maternity charity MIDIRS is delighted to announce a major new collaboration with the UK's leading charity for parents, the NCT, that aims to deliver increased access to evidence-based information for maternity health care professionals and parents. |
| South Africa Could Have Prevented 365,000 AIDS-Related Deaths If HIV Treatment Programs Had Been Implemented Sooner, Study Says
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| The South African government could have prevented about 365,000 AIDS-related deaths earlier this decade by providing antiretroviral drugs to HIV-positive people and by implementing a mother-to-child HIV prevention program, according to a study to be published in the Dec. 1 issue of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, the New York Times reports (Dugger, New York Times, 11/26). |
