last updated: Mon, 06 Sep 2010 16:46:09 GMT
Held every five year, the International Thyroid Congress is a key worldwide event for healthcare professionals around the world. Over 2,500 people are expected: endocrinologists, nuclear medicine physicians, oncologists, ENT specialists, surgeons, researchers, GPs, caregivers, biologists, etc. This congress will approach all aspects of the physiology of the thyroid gland and its related diseases, with a special focus on the major scientific progresses of the last few years...
Major new sporting forum to focus on the shape of sport to come�� The abolition of drug testing, radical treatment of childhood obesity and the integration of military amputees into Olympic programmes are top topics at UKsem - the world-first conference on sport and exercise medicine. Key note speakers will include Lance Armstrong's physiologist and director of the Human Performance Laboratory at the University of Texas, Dr Edward Coyle and 12-time world record holder in Athletics, Lord Sebastian Coe...
The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) announced that The Hartz Mountain Corporation has voluntarily recalled 74,800 8-ounce bags of Hartz Naturals Real Beef Treats for Dogs which may be tained with Salmonella. Infection with salmonella, known as salmonellosis, can affect pets, such as dogs and cats, as well as humans - it is caused by Salmonella bacteria. Pets may develop gastroenteritis, spontaneous abortions, and septicemia. It is a zoonotic disease; it can be transmitted from the dog to a human...
The first cases of West Nile virus (WNV) human infection in Arkansas include three reported cases over the last week, the Arkansas Department of Health has announced. All three cases occurred in the southern part of the state. Because of privacy concerns, no more details can be released about the individuals at the moment. James Phillips, MD, Infectious Disease Branch Chief at ADH, said that human infections of West Nile virus at this time of year do not come as a surprise. Dr...
Rarely have we faced so many daunting clinical challenges in infectious disease with so few clinical choices in our armamentarium. Equally rarely have we had so few potential agents in development to treat these emerging and expanding pathogens. The increased incidence of multi-resistant Gram positive species such as MRSA in the community and pan-resistant Gram negative organisms in the hospital setting are posing major health care challenges...
The Biophysical Society is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2011 Society awards. The eight recipients will receive their awards at the Society's 55th Annual Meeting on Monday, March 7, 2011 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Maryland. The awardees are: Shelagh Ferguson-Miller, Michigan State University, will receive the Anatrace Membrane Protein Award for her seminal contributions to the field of molecular bioenergetics and advances in membrane protein biochemistry...
The Biophysical Society is delighted to announce its 2011 Society Fellows. Fellows are chosen based on their demonstrated excellence in science, contributions to the expansion of the field of biophysics, and support of the Biophysical Society. The Fellows will be honored at the Awards Ceremony during the Biophysical Society's 55th Annual Meeting on Monday March 7, 2011 at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Maryland...
Dr. Robert Olson, a radiation oncologist, is the first physician to be hired for the BC Cancer Agency Centre for the North. He will be part of the provincial Radiation Therapy Program which will bring service to the North for the first time when the new centre is opened. The centre, now under construction, is expected to start treating patients by the end of 2012. Dr. Olson has also been appointed as an assistant professor with the Northern Medical Program, his formal appointment being with the Department of Surgery in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia...
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the funding of a project in California that will improve wastewater services for the community of Los Osos, create construction jobs and support community development. USDA officials made the announcement at the San Luis Obispo County Government Center where they highlighted the environmental, health and economic benefits to be provided to the community. The project is funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act)...
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the funding of a project in New York that will improve wastewater services for the Village of Monticello, create construction jobs and support community development. The project is funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act). "This project not only will improve water quality in the community and surrounding area, it contributes to the Obama administration's continued efforts that improve the local quality of life and create opportunities for job growth," Vilsack said...
CSI Laboratories®, a private national cancer diagnostic laboratory, announced the lease of a new 65,000 square foot facility in Alpharetta, GA, located north of the city of Atlanta. CSI Laboratories is committing $15 million to its strategic expansion project, and this newly leased space will house its next generation laboratory, with clinical operations beginning in mid-2011...
An international study of clinical data led by a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)-Harvard University cardiologist found that patients with deposits of fatty plaque in their arteries are at especially high risk for life-threatening cardiovascular events if they have diabetes, disease in multiple arteries or a history of heart attack or stroke. "This study was an impressive international collaboration that may hold important clinical benefits for Veterans and others with cardiovascular disease," said VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki...
What is the Problem? The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers to discard cheeses from Estrella Family Creamery of Montesano, Wash., because they may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. Environmental samples and one product sample collected by the FDA during an August 2010 inspection at the facility have tested positive for L. mono. The company had previously recalled cheeses due to L. mono contamination, but resumed marketing in May 2010...
Australians' blasé attitude towards medicines is leading to further health problems for many people and is placing avoidable pressure on our health system. An article published in MJA has detailed serious health effects in patients who misused pain killers containing ibuprofen and codeine, and notes more than half a million Australians use combination pain relief products for non-medical purposes. Because of its opioid effects, codeine can cause dependence with long term use, and this may lead people to increase their dose...
Consuming energy drinks during team sports could help young people perform better, a study suggests. Sports scientists found that 12-14 year olds can play for longer in team games when they drink an isotonic sports drink before and during games. Researchers at the University of Edinburgh measured the performance of 15 adolescents during exercise designed to simulate the physical demands of team games such as football, rugby and hockey...
Dr. Douglas Holtz-Eakin, President of the American Action Forum and former Director of the Congressional Budget Office, will give a presentation at the upcoming Healthcare Reform: Dealing with Hurdles and Building Up Successes Conference, to be held in Washington, DC, Nov. 8-9, 2010, by GTCbio. This informative conference will provide an extensive look at the new changes and developments caused by the healthcare reform act, and what the healthcare industry and related areas are doing to adapt...
Wayne C. Koff, Chief Scientific Officer and Senior Vice President of Research and Development (R&D) at the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI.org), will give the keynote presentation titled "Future Directions in AIDS Vaccine Development: The Decade Ahead" at the 8th Annual Vaccines: All Things Considered Conference to be held this year in Washington, DC on Nov. 8-9, 2010 by GTCbio. Dr...
Two further clinical trials are planned to confirm a vaginal gel which has shown potential in reducing the risk of HIV. The results of the first trial of the gel, which were announced in July at the XVIII International AIDS Conference in Vienna, must be confirmed before the product can be made available for general use. The tenofovir-based gel was found to be 39% effective to reduce a woman's risk of becoming infected with HIV during sex in a study completed by the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA), a UNAIDS Collaborating Centre on HIV prevention research...
As Hurricane Earl moves up the East Coast, Rite Aid stores along the coast and in anticipated areas of impact have stocked up on supplies to help residents get ready and urge them to plan ahead. These stores have increased supplies of bottled water, batteries, flashlights, small lanterns, candles, film and one-time- use cameras useful for insurance purposes, duct tape and masking tape, coolers, canned foods and other emergency provisions. Many Rite Aid stores also have emergency generators on stand-by in case of power outages, so that the stores can keep operating if possible...
This week an insurance research firm reported that ownership in life insurance has reached a 50-year low, with nearly a third of U.S. households not having a form of this financial protection. As the benefits industry begins Life Insurance Awareness Month in September, Unum (NYSE: UNM) shares the concern that this decline exposes working Americans to financial uncertainty. "Life insurance is one of the building blocks of a solid financial plan," says Debbie Cecil, director of life products for Unum...
Celgene Corporation (NASDAQ: CELG) announced it has received a Paragraph IV Certification Letter advising that Natco Pharma Limited of Hyderabad, India, submitted an Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The application requests authorization to manufacture and market generic versions of REVLIMID® (lenalidomide) 5, 10, 15 and 25 mg capsules in the United States...
Peter Mansell explores how effective concordance can take the strain off industry-patient group partnerships. Pharmaceutical companies and patient organizations are never going to be the easiest of fits. It is not so much due to any fundamental unwillingness to work together, or lack of common ground, but rather to the kind of attention these relationships inevitably attract. That attention may range from the suspicious to the downright hostile, whether it comes from regulators, budget holders, or a watchful media...
Progress in childhood cancer is a good news story. Children treated for cancer have an overall 70-80 per cent cure rate. As the numbers of survivors of childhood cancer increases, studies of the long-term survivors allow research that can guide newer treatment protocols and further improve the outlook for newly diagnosed patients...
An integrated approach to cancer care needs to be developed in Australia that incorporates psychosocial and biological interventions, according to an article published in a Medical Journal of Australia supplement. The Anxiety, Depression and Cancer supplement is the product of a partnership between beyondblue and the Cancer Council Australia...
Although codeine-ibuprofen can be considered a relatively weak opioid analgesic, it is nevertheless addictive and more research is needed to develop health care responses to its misuse, according to an article in the Medical Journal of Australia. Dr Matthew Frei, Clinical Head at Southern and Eastern Health Alcohol and Drug Services and Adjunct Senior Lecturer at the School of Psychology and Psychiatry, Monash University, Melbourne, and co-authors investigated morbidity related to the misuse of over-the-counter (OTC) codeine-ibuprofen analgesics between May 2005 and December 2008...
The Health Protection Agency is aware of a significant increase in reports of cases of West Nile Virus (WNV) in Northern Greece. To date there have been 164 cases and 14 deaths reported in Greece, most of which have occurred in the last month. There have also been seven confirmed and three probable cases with two deaths seen in Romania and three cases in Hungary. Cases have been reported in these countries in previous years. Cases of WNV are rare in people in Europe. The infection is spread through mosquito bites, and it is not transmitted directly from person-to-person...
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has received encouraging results of UK testing on the silicone gel breast implants manufactured by the French company Poly Implant Prosthese (PIP). The tests found no evidence of genotoxicity (potential for cancer) or chemical toxicity of the filler material in the implants. The tests are not as extensive as those being carried out in France, but they have provided initial information as to whether there is a safety issue with the filler material...
Lancet Editorial Makes Recommendations For Health-System Strengthening "There is strong consensus in the global health community, among donors, recipient countries, and policy makers, about the need for health system strengthening in low-income and middle-income countries," write the authors of a Lancet Comment. The article recommends areas in health-system strengthening that need "more attention and better analysis," including building consensus, and responding to specific country health system needs...
Research by DNA fingerprinting pioneer and his team at University of Leicester defines engine for change in genetic hotspots. One of the key drivers of human evolution and diversity, accounting for changes that occur between different generations of people, is explained by new research published (Sept 5) by world-renowned scientist Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys, who discovered DNA fingerprinting at the University of Leicester...
Selfish bacterial cells that act in their own interests and do not cooperate with their infection-causing colleagues can actually reduce the severity of infection. The selfish behaviour of these uncooperative bacteria could be exploited to treat antibiotic-resistant infections, according to research being presented at the Society for General Microbiology's autumn meeting today. Bacteria work together by using a well-studied communication system called Quorum Sensing (QS). During infection, bacteria talk to each other using QS to coordinate the release of toxins...
While we are often exposed to bacteria in our food which could cause food poisoning, we don't always become ill why should this be so? Professor Colin Hill who is presenting his work at the Society for General Microbiology's autumn meeting in Nottingham today describes how bacteria use different tricks to aid their survival inside the body, helping to explain why food poisoning can be so unpredictable. One of the biggest challenges faced by food-borne bacteria is acid. Acidic conditions, particularly in the stomach and in the gut will kill most microbes found in contaminated food...
Plaque-causing bacteria can jailbreak from the mouth into the bloodstream and increase your risk of heart attack says a scientist at the Society for General Microbiology's autumn meeting in Nottingham. Professor Howard Jenkinson, from the University of Bristol explains how oral bacteria can wreak havoc if they are not kept in check by regular brushing and flossing. "Poor dental hygiene can lead to bleeding gums, providing bacteria with an escape route into the bloodstream, where they can initiate blood clots leading to heart disease," he said...
Biologists at the University of California, San Diego have discovered that a gene critical for programmed cell death is also important in the loss of adult stem cells, a finding that could help to improve the health and well-being of patients undergoing cancer treatment. "During chemotherapy or radiation therapy that kills cancer cells by inducing significant DNA damage in their genomes, one of the main side effects for human cancer patients is the depletion of their own adult stem cells, particularly the ones responsible for making new blood and intestine cells...
One of the key drivers of human evolution and diversity, accounting for changes that occur between different generations of people, is explained by new research published by world-renowned scientist Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys, who discovered DNA fingerprinting at the University of Leicester. Professor Jeffreys has spent over two decades since his landmark discovery in 1984 investigating what he describes as "pretty bizarre bits of DNA" - highly variable repeated parts of DNA called 'minisatellites' - found in the human genome...
Yale and McGill University scientists have identified a protein that is critical in fighting mosquito-borne West Nile Virus in mice. This finding could have therapeutic implications for controlling the potentially deadly virus in humans. The study appears in the Advance Online Publication of Nature Immunology. Researchers studied the role of caspase-12, a protein that activates secretion of substances that are part of the body's immune response. Caspase-12's function in fighting bacterial infection has been studied before, but its role in viral immunity has not...
Research that could take scientists a step closer to discovering the cause of Alzheimer's and a study on how to improve care for people with dementia in hospitals are two of nine projects announced. The nine research projects have been made possible following a £1.5 million grant jointly from Alzheimer's Society and the Bupa Foundation. Top scientists in the UK and Australia are being funded as part of an exciting new partnership between the two charities to boost research into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of dementia...
The largest and most comprehensive ophthalmic educational meeting in the world, the American Academy of Ophthalmology's (Academy) 2010 Joint Meeting in conjunction with the Middle East Africa Council of Ophthalmology (MEACO) will be taking place in Chicago, October 16 to 19. The meeting offers more than 500 instruction courses, a variety of skills transfer courses, breakfast with the experts roundtables, 43 free symposia and Spotlight Sessions and hundreds of scientific papers, posters and videos...
For the estimated 83,000 women who will be diagnosed with a gynecologic cancer in 2010, participation in clinical trials offers an opportunity both to ensure that future patients benefit from the most up-to-date treatments and increased survival rates and to potentially improve the health of current patients. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists supports the efforts to raise awareness about gynecologic cancers and participation in clinical trials-a main focus of this year's Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month (GCAM) in September...
The American Red Cross has provided help and shelter from North Carolina to New England as Hurricane Earl and its winds and rain moved up the Atlantic Coast. Friday night, twelve Red Cross shelters in New York, Massachusetts and Rhode Island gave nearly 100 people a safe place to ride out the storm as Earl moved past Cape Cod with strong winds and heavy rain. Thursday night, a dozen Red Cross shelters in North Carolina gave more than 260 people comfort as the storm passed through that area...
Just days after leading thousands of people in a Sacramento march celebrating women's right to vote, and decrying those politicians who dishonor it, the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United today announces that Labor Day festivities across the state will feature both Queen Meg and Princess Carly, the two satirical figures lampooning the Republican nominees for governor and senator...
A new IFPMA study(1), announced at the "Options for the Control of Influenza VII" conference in Hong Kong, shows that global vaccine coverage remains uneven and low overall, despite total distribution of seasonal influenza vaccines nearly doubling over the last six years...
Mind today reveals shocking new evidence about the devastating impact a visit from the bailiffs can have on your mental health. 50% of people surveyed by the charity reported suicidal feelings after a knock on the door from bailiffs. In the current economic climate and as more and more people find it difficult to keep up with their bills, Mind is calling on the Government to act on its commitment to protect the public from aggressive bailiffs and urgently introduce robust regulation of the profession...
According to a new report, 2 out of every 5 of New York City's children from kindergarten to eighth grade, are either overweight or obese. This figure, released in a report on Sunday, comes from the latest New York City (NYC) Fitnessgram assessment, a new program that was piloted in 2005-06 and is now in place across the city. The program uses height and weight measures collected through a school year and converts them into body mass index (BMI) measures. These, together with the results of a fitness test, are sent to parents...
Cancer diagnosis and treatment planning took another major step forward with the release of the Request for Proposals (RFP) for the purchase and installation of a second positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) scanner at the BC Cancer Agency. "With one PET/CT scanner already in place at the BC Cancer Agency, we have seen how British Columbians have benefitted from better access to a proven diagnostic imaging tool," said Wynne Powell, Chair, Board of Directors, Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA)...
The acute care surgery (ACS) model, which is consultant-led, provides a safe surgical environment for patients and is associated with a reduced complication rate, according to an article in the Medical Journal of Australia. Dr Robert Gandy, Surgical Registrar at the Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney, and co-authors conducted a retrospective historical control study, comparing appendicectomy outcomes for the ACS model with the traditional on-call (Trad) model...
High bed occupancy and emergency department (ED) overcrowding are bad for patients, staff and the system itself, according to an editorial in the Medical Journal of Australia. In the editorial, Dr Sally McCarthy, President of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine and Director of Emergency Medicine at, Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney, discusses hospital occupancy levels and ED overcrowding...
The first clinical trials on a new investigational drug being developed to treat infections caused by Hepatitis C virus have been successfully completed. Completion of the initial phase (phase 1a) of trials of INX-189, discovered and first prepared by researchers at Cardiff University's Welsh School of Pharmacy in 2008, means the chances of it becoming an approved medicine have significantly improved. Approximately 170 million people worldwide are affected with Hepatitis C, which can lead to liver cancer, cirrhosis and death...
Following the imprisonment of Maxim Popov in April 2010, sentenced to 7 years jail primarily for the promotion of HIV prevention efforts in Uzbekistan, the International AIDS Society (IAS) notes with alarm the detention of a medial practitioner working in HIV prevention in Ukraine. Dr. Illya Podolyan, a 62-year old physician providing opioid substitution therapy (OST) for people using drugs, was detained on 28 May 2010 by Odessa police and charged with alleged crimes relating to drugs trafficking...
A blood test to diagnose which heart attack survivors will suffer heart failure is the goal of a new five-year, $11.6 million contract to the UT Health Science Center San Antonio from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). Each year more than 1.2 million Americans suffer a heart attack. In a third of these individuals, the damage results in heart failure, a progressive condition in which the heart cannot pump enough blood to meet the body's oxygen needs. Half of these 400,000 survivors will die within five years...
Ayusman Sen, Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at Penn State University, has been honored with the Chemical Research Society of India (CRSI) Medal. Sen is only the second recipient of the medal, which is awarded exclusively to outstanding chemists of Indian origin who work outside of India. Sen's research encompasses the twin themes of catalysis and new materials, with one of the goals being the development of new catalysts that will enable the synthesis of polymers and related materials with novel combinations of properties...
News outlets are following the politics and rhetoric surrounding the new health law. NPR reports on six myths perpetuated by some critics of the law. They include: the law helps President Barack Obama raise a private army and that those who want public coverage have to have a microchip implanted. That began with a provision in House-passed bill, which was not in the final bill. "It called for the Food and Drug Administration to create a registry of medical devices that could be implanted in people...
The Washington Post: "Amid high unemployment and a weak economy, employers have been shifting health care costs to workers, according to a study released Thursday. The premiums that employees pay for employer-sponsored family coverage rose an average of 13.7 percent this year, while the amount that employers contribute fell by 0.9 percent, the survey found...
Nearly half of all Americans used at least one prescription drug per month in 2008, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Bloomberg reports. That's a 10 percent increase over the preceding decade. Over that time, yearly spending by Americans on drugs doubled to $234 billion. "The two biggest-sellers last year were Pfizer Inc.'s Lipitor for high cholesterol and Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.'s clot-buster, Plavix. The rise of such medicines may continue as insurers add as many as 32 million customers through the U.S...
As many as 5 million uninsured kids are eligible for Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program, according to a report published Friday in the journal Health Affairs, Reuters reports. "An estimated 7.3 million children were uninsured on an average day in 2008 and 65 percent of them were eligible for Medicaid or CHIP coverage, the report said. ... Thirty-nine percent of eligible uninsured children live in just three states - California, Texas and Florida, the report by the Washington-based Urban Institute Health Policy Center said...
Politico reports that as "Congress prepares to return for a limited pre-election agenda, Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) said she has picked up wide support for her bill to permit embryonic stem-cell research and expects it will pass this month. Although it has been strongly opposed by anti-abortion activists, she voiced confidence that the measure will be a political boost for its backers as well as good policy. ... Her proposal has gained additional urgency following the Aug. 23 ruling by U.S...
USA Today reports that food safety groups are slamming how well U.S. Department of Agriculture regulated the farms implicated in the salmonella outbreak. "Though USDA says its authority was limited, the agency's egg graders were at Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms at least 40 hours a week - including before the outbreak - inspecting the size and quality of eggs inside processing buildings. ...
The Columbus Dispatch: "Gov. Ted Strickland's administration announced today that nearly $200 million in recently freed up state funds will go to Ohio hospitals, community mental health services, and a program which provides medication to low-income residents with HIV/AIDS. ... The state money became available after Congress agreed to continue paying a higher share of the cost of state Medicaid programs that provide insurance coverage to the poor. The higher federal contribution which had been set to expire Dec. 31 will continue through June 30" (Candisky, 9/2). Florida Tribune: "Gov...
Urban Institute/Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: The Health Status Of New Medicaid Enrollees Under Health Reform - Using the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, authors of this paper found "strong evidence that those who will enroll [in Medicaid after 2014] are likely to be healthier than nondisabled adults currently enrolled in Medicaid ... There is, however, a high likelihood of adverse selection - the least healthy and older among the new eligibles will be more likely to enroll. ...
Surer Footing For Medicare The Washington Post Under the act, Medicare is stronger than it has been in years, and seniors will get new benefits. That's no illusion; that's progress (Dr. Donald Berwick, 9/3). Shifting The Health Cost Burden The New York Times In other words, employers shifted virtually all of the increased premium costs to their hapless workers, who were in a weak position to resist in an economy where there were few other jobs to jump to (9/2)...
"A group of 60 nations, including France, Britain and Japan, will propose at the U.N. [summit on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)] this month that a tax be introduced on international currency transactions to raise funds for development aid, ministers said on Wednesday," Reuters reports (Irish, 9/1). Ministers estimate the proposed "0.005 percent [tax] on currency transactions" could "raise as much as $35 billion a year in development aid," according to BusinessWeek (Viscusi, 9/2)...
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