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Ahead of International AIDS Conference, health experts call for scientifically-based drug policies

Ahead of the International AIDS Conference, scheduled to kick off July 18, health experts on Monday called for a rethinking of international drug policies to incorporate greater scientific evidence and increase access to HIV prevention, treatment and care, the Associated Press reports (6/28).

29 Jun 2010

'Beeglue' may help deliver new treatments for fatal infections

Bees could have a key role to play in urgently-needed new treatments to fight the virulent MRSA bug, according to research led at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland.

29 Jun 2010

Hospice care falls as more Americans spend final days in hospitals; Milwaukee hospital reports success with treatment guidelines

The Associated Press: "Americans increasingly are treated to death, spending more time in hospitals in their final days, trying last-ditch treatments that often buy only weeks of time, and racking up bills that have made medical care a leading cause of bankruptcies. More than 80 percent of people who die in the United States have a long, progressive illness such as cancer, heart failure or Alzheimer's disease."

29 Jun 2010

FDA accepts for review BioMimetic Therapeutics' Augment Bone Graft PMA application

BioMimetic Therapeutics, Inc. today announced the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for review its Premarket Approval (PMA) application for Augment™ Bone Graft for use in foot and ankle fusions in the U.S. The FDA has now filed the application and begun the comprehensive review of the clinical module.

29 Jun 2010

A neuro-optometric rehabilitation case report

The College of Optometrists in Vision Development (COVD) has posted its current issue of Optometry & Vision Development online and invites all to read the full-text articles free of charge.

29 Jun 2010

Opinions: G8 commitments to maternal, child health

A Toronto Star editorial reflects on the pledges of G8 countries to the Muskoka Initiative to improve maternal and child health care, noting, while Canada's $1.1 billion over five years "fell noticeably short of the $1.2 billion the G8 and G20 summits cost to stage, it will lend welcome impetus to a lifeline for Africa and help save lives." However, as the editorial notes, "the recession-battered G8 as a group responded feebly, mustering only $5 billion over five years.

29 Jun 2010

FDA grants AMS clearance for MiniArc Precise Single-Incision Sling System

American Medical Systems® (AMS), a leading provider of world-class devices and therapies for both male and female pelvic health, today announced the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared the MiniArc® Precise Single-Incision Sling System, a product for the treatment of female stress urinary incontinence (SUI). MiniArc Precise is the next generation sling in the MiniArc family sling system, the number one selling single-incision sling in the United States.

29 Jun 2010

Athletes live longer: Study

The study featuring in the July 2010 issue of The Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport (JSAMS), published by Sports Medicine Australia, examined the mortality and longevity of elite athletes to understand the association between exercise training and survival rates.

28 Jun 2010

Cancer clues from pregnant lizards

A compound produced by a pregnant lizard may provide important information on the origins and treatment of cancer in humans, according to zoologist Bridget Murphy from the School of Biological Sciences who discovered the protein, which is pivotal to the development of the lizard placenta.

28 Jun 2010

Queensland health payroll was faulty right from testing phase: Auditor’s report

The Auditor General’s report on the Queensland health pay bungle revealed an “unprecedented failure of public administration in Queensland” a day after two senior bureaucrats lost their jobs.

28 Jun 2010

Getting rid of asbestos in Australia

Asbestos that is linked to lung cancer called mesothelioma, is still present in more than one million Australian homes, offices and schools according to reports. And the problem is “compounded by poor community awareness and a disjointed approach from the three levels of government.”

28 Jun 2010

Jury still out on Patel case

It is the seventh day the Jury deliberating on the Patel manslaughter is sequestered at a Brisbane hotel. The Jury including six men and six women retired to an undisclosed Brisbane hotel last Wednesday to consider the case. Today also marks the 59th day of the trial.

28 Jun 2010

ITMTX treatment effective in late stages/progressive forms of MS: Study

The Multiple Sclerosis Research Center of New York (MSRCNY), together with the International Multiple Sclerosis Management Practice (IMSMP), today announced that results from its Intrathecal Methotrexate Treatment in Multiple Sclerosis study have been published in this month's issue of Journal of Neurology. This study reports on the feasibility of using intrathecal methotrexate (ITMTX) in treatment unresponsive multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with progressive forms of the disease.

28 Jun 2010

Five Star Quality Care added to Russell 3000 Index

Five Star Quality Care, Inc. today announced that it has been added to the broad market Russell 3000® Index following Russell Investments' reconstitution of its comprehensive set of U.S. and global equity indexes on June 25, 2010. The Russell 3000 Index also serves as the U.S. component to the Russell Global Index.

28 Jun 2010

People in Medicare's two-year disability waiting period continue to wait

The Oregonian: Sue Sherman of Southwest Portland was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last year and "joined nearly 2 million disabled Americans -- at least 15,000 in Oregon -- who fall into a twilight with the first monthly Social Security disability payment, for they then must wait two years to become eligible for Medicare." Many of them exhaust their savings "on the care necessary to reach a diagnosis and now cannot get private insurance."

28 Jun 2010

Othello Community Hospital second in nation to achieve Stage 6 on EMR Adoption Model

Othello Community Hospital, an Inland Northwest Health Services (INHS)-networked facility, has been recognized by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Analytics as achieving Stage 6 on the EMR Adoption Modelsm (EMRAM). Othello is only the second critical access hospital in the nation to receive this distinction, a testament to its commitment to using technology to best serve patients.

28 Jun 2010

Health reform law this week: Some states to miss deadline on high-risk pools, tanning tax kicks in

USA Today: "The key early program of the nation's new health law aims to provide affordable coverage to about 200,000 people with pre-existing medical conditions, such as cancer or diabetes, through federal high-risk insurance pools. The law called for the program to be in place last week, 90 days after its enactment, though the Department of Health and Human Services had said the programs would launch Thursday to coincide with the start of states' fiscal years."

28 Jun 2010

Intarcia presents ITCA 650 Phase 2 study results at 70th ADA

Intarcia Therapeutics, Inc. presented today the results of a phase 2 clinical study of ITCA 650 (DUROS® continuous subcutaneous delivery of exenatide) for the treatment of type 2 diabetes as a late-breaker at the Annual Conference of the American Diabetes Association in Orlando, FL (June 25-29, 2010). Results of the phase 2 study demonstrated substantial reductions in HbA1c and body weight during the 12 weeks of treatment with ITCA 650 at both the 20 mcg/day and 40 mcg/day doses.

28 Jun 2010

IAVI announces Japanese pledge of $10M for AIDS vaccine research and development

The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) announced today that the Government of Japan pledged a US$10 million grant to support AIDS vaccine research and development over the next five years. The grant, which will be channeled through a newly established World Bank trust fund, is the first of its kind from the Japanese government to IAVI.

28 Jun 2010

Senate Dems continue Medicaid money, jobless benefits push

The Hill reports that Senate Democrats are pushing to keep a package of jobless benefits and aid to states for their Medicaid programs moving. "More than 1.2 million Americans will exhaust their unemployment benefits by the end of June if Congress fails to work out a deal on an extension of unemployment benefits, according to the National Employment Law Project, a group studying the issue."

28 Jun 2010