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FRC praises decision of federal Advisory Committee on Blood Safety and Availability

Family Research Council praised today's decision by the federal Advisory Committee on Blood Safety and Availability to reject any change in current blood donation rules. Current policy provides that men who have had sex with men at any time since 1977 are permanently "deferred" from acting as blood donors, because of the high rates of HIV infection in that population. The panel, which offers non-binding advice to the federal Department of Health and Human Services, voted 9-6 on Friday afternoon against recommending any immediate change in the policy.

14 Jun 2010

Telmisartan reduces hypertension, cardiovascular risk in ACE-intolerant patients: Boehringer Ingelheim

Telmisartan, an angiotensin receptor blocker, is one of the best researched drugs worldwide. It has been studied in clinical trials in more than 50,000 patients. Its positive safety profile has been confirmed also in a market exposure of 34.5 million patient years. Convincing safety data for patients with a high cardiovascular risk were collected in the three long-term outcome trials ONTARGET, PRoFESS and TRANSCEND which followed some of the patients for up to five years.

14 Jun 2010

PolyMedix awarded $150,000 grant to support development of antimicrobial sutures to reduce SSIs

A new discovery may help curb surgical site infections through the use of a novel antibiotic agent that can be incorporated into sutures. SSIs are the third most common hospital-acquired infection and may be associated with severe morbidity and mortality. Since more than 60% of SSIs occur in the area of the incision, the use of sutures coated with an antibacterial agent called PolyCides, created by Radnor, PA-based PolyMedix Inc., may reduce infection rates.

14 Jun 2010

Researchers find new way to prevent blindness caused by retinitis pigmentosa

Researchers at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center have found a way to use a radical new type of gene therapy to prevent blindness caused by retinitis pigmentosa, giving hope to the estimated 100,000 Americans who suffer from this debilitating disease.

14 Jun 2010

State round-up: Tenn. lawmakers fail to pass bill to opt out of health care law; Mass. officials continue to study hospital sale

Tennessee lawmakers adjourned the 106th General Assembly early Thursday after failing to pass a bill to opt out of the new federal health care law. ... Both chambers passed the budget -- the only piece of legislation they are constitutionally required to adopt -- last week, but spent the last few days wrangling over issues like the federal health care overhaul.

14 Jun 2010

Blood flow interruption during renal surgery can increase risk of chronic kidney disease

Interrupting the blood flow for more than 20 to 25 minutes during kidney cancer (http://www.mayoclinic.org/kidney-cancer/research.html) surgery leads to a greater risk for patients developing chronic kidney disease, a Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic collaborative research team has found. The study was published today in the journal, European Urology.

14 Jun 2010

Olfactory function tests could help in treating patient in early stages of PD

A fast, simple and non invasive test of the ability to smell may be an important tool to screen people who are likely to develop Parkinson's disease, in which motor symptoms only become evident at a later stage of the disease, a German scientist will tell the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics today (Saturday).

14 Jun 2010

U.S. judge approves $712.5 million settlement for 9/11 responders' health problems

"Thousands of first responders, firefighters and construction workers sickened by toxic rubble at Ground Zero could share in a settlement of up to $712.5 million announced Thursday, three months after a federal judge said a previous deal did not pay victims enough. U.S. District Court Judge Alvin Hellerstein gave preliminary approval to the settlement of a 7-year-old lawsuit against the city by nearly 10,000 people who suffered illnesses from exposure to dust and debris at the World Trade Center site after the Sept. 11 attacks."

14 Jun 2010

TWI launches new educational module to understand role of biofilms in chronic wound infections

The Wound Institute today announced the launch of a new educational module "Exploring Biofilms," an accredited, online course designed to help practicing wound care specialists better understand the role that biofilms play in chronic wound infections.

14 Jun 2010

New research project to identify tactics, strategies for working with patient advocacy groups

In the biopharma sector, collaborating with patient advocacy groups is a critical part of educating patients and physicians. Patient advocacy groups are a trusted resource for consumers as they seek out information on new therapies, especially novel therapies. Using an online research survey and deep-dive interviews with selected participants, Best Practices, LLC conducted a research project to identify winning practices in patient advocacy group collaboration and relationship management.

14 Jun 2010

Effective antimicrobial products can reduce hospital-acquired infections

The Centers for Disease Control estimate that more than two million people in the United States are affected annually by hospital-acquired infections. Meanwhile, a report released in April by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality concluded that this problem, which is worsening, requires urgent attention.

14 Jun 2010

Florida GOP gov. candidate surges despite questions about involvement in Medicare fraud case

Opponents of Florida GOP gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott are questioning Scott's involvement in a health care fraud case when he was the CEO for Columbia/HCA hospital.

14 Jun 2010

Asymptomatic perioperative arrhythmias can lead to sudden cardiac death after surgery: Researchers

Vascular surgery may be accompanied by cardiovascular complications, like ventricular tachyarrhythmia. Though, these arrhythmias initially might be asymptomatic, they can lead to increased risk for late sudden cardiac death after surgery. Researchers from the Netherlands believe that cardiac high-risk patients with new-onset perioperative VT might benefit from preemptive cardioverter defibrillator implantation in addition to optimal focused medical therapy.

14 Jun 2010

Researchers discover key factor in beading mechanism

Researchers at Rice University, Purdue University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have solved a long-standing mystery about why some fluids containing polymers -- including saliva -- form beads when they are stretched and others do not.

14 Jun 2010

First database of combined clinical trials on brain disease made available to qualified researchers

A new database of more than 4,000 Alzheimer's disease patients who have participated in 11 industry-sponsored clinical trials was released today by the Coalition Against Major Diseases. This is the first database of combined clinical trials to be openly shared by pharmaceutical companies and made available to qualified researchers around the world.

14 Jun 2010

New guideline to improve IHC testing for expression status of ER and PgR in breast cancer issued

The College of American Pathologists and the American Society of Clinical Oncology today issued a joint guideline aimed at improving the accuracy of immunohistochemistry testing for the expression status of estrogen and progesterone receptors in breast cancer. The two groups conducted a systematic review of medical research literature in partnership with Cancer Care Ontario to develop the recommendations.

14 Jun 2010

Cancer survivors forego medical care because of financial concerns

A new analysis has found that two million cancer survivors did not get needed medical services in the previous year because of concerns about cost. Published early online in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study raises the concern that the long-term health and well-being of cancer survivors could suffer because patients have financial worries about their care.

14 Jun 2010

Obama, GOP spar on Medicare 'doc fix'

"President Barack Obama Saturday accused Senate Republicans of standing in the way of important legislation that would block deep pay cuts for doctors who care for Medicare patients. Mr. Obama said the majority of the U.S. Congress is ready and willing to prevent a pay cut of 21%. But he used his weekly radio and Internet address to express concern that some Republicans are seeking to block a vote on the issue. If they do, doctors could see the cut in their Medicare payments this week, the president said" (Randall, 6/12).

14 Jun 2010

Study: Children with idiopathic onset epilepsy have high remission rate

A study conducted by researchers in The Netherlands confirmed that children with idiopathic new-onset epilepsy have a significantly higher rate of remission than those with remote symptomatic epilepsy.

14 Jun 2010

Opinions: Haitian housing; U.S. foreign aid

"The only thing that seems to be moving relentlessly ahead in Haiti is the weather, with punishing heat and near-daily thunderstorms settling in for the summer - and the hurricane season that just begun," according to a New York Times editorial highlighting some of the problems with the Haitian reconstruction effort.

14 Jun 2010

Research News and Research

FRC praises decision of federal Advisory Committee on Blood Safety and Availability

Telmisartan reduces hypertension, cardiovascular risk in ACE-intolerant patients: Boehringer Ingelheim

PolyMedix awarded $150,000 grant to support development of antimicrobial sutures to reduce SSIs

Researchers find new way to prevent blindness caused by retinitis pigmentosa

State round-up: Tenn. lawmakers fail to pass bill to opt out of health care law; Mass. officials continue to study hospital sale

Blood flow interruption during renal surgery can increase risk of chronic kidney disease

Olfactory function tests could help in treating patient in early stages of PD

U.S. judge approves $712.5 million settlement for 9/11 responders' health problems

TWI launches new educational module to understand role of biofilms in chronic wound infections

New research project to identify tactics, strategies for working with patient advocacy groups

Effective antimicrobial products can reduce hospital-acquired infections

Florida GOP gov. candidate surges despite questions about involvement in Medicare fraud case

Asymptomatic perioperative arrhythmias can lead to sudden cardiac death after surgery: Researchers

Researchers discover key factor in beading mechanism

First database of combined clinical trials on brain disease made available to qualified researchers

New guideline to improve IHC testing for expression status of ER and PgR in breast cancer issued

Cancer survivors forego medical care because of financial concerns

Obama, GOP spar on Medicare 'doc fix'

Study: Children with idiopathic onset epilepsy have high remission rate

Opinions: Haitian housing; U.S. foreign aid

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