HEALTH MANAGEMENT. Study casts a wider net for risky blood pressure in children

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - could more children than previously assumed his risk of dangerously high blood pressure, with more than a quarter with blood vessels, which look like the much older, according to a new study.
Since there is a theoretical possibility that some of these children, a stroke or a heart attack, which might suffer down road, say the researchers, that the results mean that all children should their blood pressure measured.
"I believe it is important that everyone for high blood pressure, is shown," said Dr. Karen Redwine Arkansas Childrens Hospital in little rock, which the results in the journal of Pediatrics are displayed.
"The overall rate for the development of high blood pressure, if you are a teenager is still very low," added to them, in an interview with Reuters Health. "But it is a subset of people, the development of high blood pressure somewhere between two and five times, that is, and many of those are children, now normally would apply."
These children have slightly increased blood pressure and diagnosed with so-called "Prehypertension." The label is disputed, however, because no disease to describe it - it is a risk factor for the development of later high blood pressure, which itself is a risk factor for heart disease.
An expert, who said not part of the new study he worried it could be used, to push drugs without evidence, that they do something good children.
"What me a little worried is that they are talking about the pharmacologic therapy,", said Dr. Curt D. Furberg, expert on heart disease prevention and drug safety at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
"If I me the author list, it is one of the Bristol-Myers Squibb," he added. "Pharmaceutical companies want to increase their market." "In this area sense not taking into account the healthy young children for pharmacological therapy."
The national heart, lung and Blood Institute in 2004 defined Prehypertension in children as a top blood pressure number between 120 and 139 or a lower number between 80 and 89. high blood pressure starts at 140 over 90.
If changes of lifestyle such as cutting down on salt and exercise sufficient to control high blood pressure in children, NHLBI advises drugs to try.
In adults the ups hypertension of the risk of stroke and heart attack a few percent. However, for children, the NHLBI recognizes that the long-term effects unknown are with high blood pressure for children, as are the side effects of drug treatment.
"In my mind, there are many more pressing issues in medicine as a screening for hypertension among young people, where we don't even know if treatment is useful," Furberg, Professor of public health, told Reuters Health.
The new study is an attempt, estimate how often children with Prehypertension further to develop full-blown high blood pressure or hypertension.
Development of data from a large test study - sponsored by pharmaceutical companies-at Texas schools, found Redwine and colleagues, that 11 of 1,006 students developed high blood pressure during the study.
This corresponds to a rate of 1 in 200 young people each year. Although the rate for children with Prehypertension appeared similar, a broader definition tripled created by Redwine and her colleagues nearly the rate.
After only a blood pressure higher than normal group a child in the "at risk" would set the new definition.
Until now, Redwine, explains to doctors think that a high blood pressure measurement only a Zufall--could be because the child nervously or somewhat ill was used.
Now, said she, "when it is raised only once, then you must observe and monitor it."
Currently, not the NHLBI recommend drug therapy for children with Prehypertension. But the new report suggests the investigating of the use of drugs in the "endangered."
According to the Texas screening study could that be, more than 26 percent of U.S. teenagers with the new definition-including healthy children who are not overweight.
Furberg and other critics is Prehypertension--not to mention the extended definition in the new students-a concept that comes with over slide diagnosis, over treatment and wasteful expenditure.
He said "That's what the industry is trying to do, to get people to drugs,". "they insist that for adults, and now they seem to children, which is tedious."
Redwine neutralized, although their co-authors at Bristol-Myers Squibb is busy, not drug use in children with Prehypertension are in favour of her report.
"It is not the point to say that they have to be," said Reuters Health.
The US preventive services task force, a State-sponsored group of Experts recommends screening adults for high blood pressure. It is currently the guidelines 2003 updated for children and young people, who pointed out that the evidence is not sufficient to weigh the harm and the benefits of screening children.

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HEALTH MANAGEMENT. White House childhood obesity task force must focus on the treatment for minority children

The White House task force on childhood obesity, created by the President as part of the first lady "Let's move" campaign, is resolved to be the epidemic of obesity within a generation rising the land at a rate of 5 percent by 2030, what began in the late 1970s the rate before obesity by the year.
A recent U-M study, published online before using print in obesity journal researchers evaluated the balance of prevention and treatment, for the objectives, by the task force may 2010-report ordered.
Is a shared emphasis on the prevention of obesity and treatment strategies required to achieve this goal, according to researchers. Prevention programmes solely deal with according to the epidemic, the children, who are already obese, especially minorities. Obesity treatment strategies have an important part of the equation.
"There are many discussions on the prevention of obesity for children." This is certainly important, but it is not the whole story. "Because so many children are already overweight, it need greater efforts focused on treatment, if we succeed", Joyce M. LEE, MD, mph, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and communicable diseases at the U-M medical school and a U-M c.s.. clinician says Mott Childrens Hospital.
Rates of obesity in the United States are much higher for minority children, with 20% black and Mexican-American children affected, with only 15 percent for white children childhood. Because the burden of obesity is so high, the study includes prevention strategies alone will not help, the task force, be to achieve objective.
"Effective treatment strategies, in particular targeted minority children, in particular are needed," says Lee, the lead author of the study.
The research suggests that healthy hunger-free kids act of 2010, reverse progress efforts to the obesity epidemic can help recent legislation, including the. The law increased financial support for the national school lunch program, offering free or reduced price meals to students with low income.
However, the researchers say that the law the affected by obesity can have a greater impact on the prevention of obesity in healthy children, instead of reducing obesity in children.
"It is not enough only to develop new, culturally relevant and effective treatment strategies focused on minority children be." "We the financial obstacles to these treatment strategies for children in households with low income, of which there are many racial / ethnic minorities, must reduce", says Lee.
Only ten States include offered obesity nutritional and behavioral therapy by programs such as Medicaid. Given the number of disadvantaged children, which are likely to be more obese, but is it important to say that this scheme for all authors available.
"The health care reform bill passed an important role in the cover for overweight children, can play in 2010 as requires it, new health plans to cover obesity screening and counseling for children," says Lee.
Source: University of Michigan health system
Articles from medical news today adapted from original press release.
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HEALTH MANAGEMENT. Financial incentives for doctors do not always help.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - health systems, how best to structure financial incentives for primary health care work better, not have found physicians to do, suggests a new paper.
And it is not clear that the incentives to reward doctors, wanted to improve patient care, do more and more good than damage, Australian researchers, data from studies of incentive programs in the United States, and Germany.
In these studies, researchers looked to see if distinguished doctors shown for different diseases, follow-up patients according to or achieved a result of health specific financial incentives such as often-such as a patient, that to quit smoking. Overall, the effects have been mixed.
"Many doctors, who already well simply claim the money with no change in behavior", said Anthony Scott, one of the review authors from the University of Melbourne, Reuters Health in an e-Mail.
"Incentives are not often on such doctors, which targeted the poorest quality of care." And (sometimes) the amount of money may not be sufficient, or doctors are simply not motivated by money from a large part, "he added."
He and his colleagues reviewed seven studies, doctors comparing performance, before and after incentive programs, or compared to the just a regular salary doctors in incentive programs.
Payments have been set up differently: in one case doctors have helped a small payment for each patient, which they smoking; in another model a large payout received clinics after the collision with a goal for the total number of patients a stop smoking helpline referred to additional rewards for each additional references.
Some seemed to help these incentives. Clinics, the incentives for a helpline smokers to get sent around four percent of their patients there, 11 percent rewarded referred to such as always. But in other cases, the promise of a payment does not, that doctors were better at screening for breast cancer or chlamydia.
Also with such as primary care pretty reward doctors, researchers and takes into account many different measures of performance, to fight, Jim Burgess said, health policy studies at Boston University and was not the new review.
"It is to the general problem as you an array of quality measures and try, one way to work the common Assembly and first comprehensive measure of the performance measures", he told Reuters Health.
"" "Most of what has gone before (in trials), has not generated really, what we think of as:"We are really ready to move forward on this.""
Some incentive programs actually can make worse certain doctors, run, or have no effect, he added. Do, for example, in a program, that is one group of doctors and are a payout for those then that on a certain measure-a type of system, which he studied popular - "People who know that she high, can not ranked in fact does not actually change effort."
However, there are hundreds of different incentive schemes, in the United States and Canada set up, said Scott. And the strategies in U.S. health care reform is part of cost-cutting by rewarding physicians who perform well.
The researchers were firm in their report, published in the Cochrane Library, that further study is needed to find out how to pay off financial rewards for patients and health systems. For now, they said any new incentive programs,-should be made, and takes into account unintended consequences.
The idea, said Burgess, to use 'tried take a broader view of patients' health very patient as a basis for doctors for the good work rewarding.

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HEALTH MANAGEMENT. Smoking marijuana not relating to obesity: study

By Linda Thrasybule
NEW YORK | September 9, 2011 5: 16 pm EDT
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - can people, vulnerable to "the munchies" smoke the marijuana, but surprisingly, they are less likely than proposes non-smoking to pack the pounds, a new study from France.
Analyzing data, for more than 50,000 American adults, the researchers found that approximately 14 to 17 percent of people were reported that they smoked pot at least three days a week obese. That compared with 22 to 25 percent obesity among people who said they had used not pot in the past 12 months.
"Initially, we thought that we have a mistake", Dr. Yann Le STRAT is a psychiatrist in the Louis Mourier hospital in Colombes, France said. He and co-author Dr. Bernard Le foll had several times to check the results, to ensure that they were incorrect, said Le STRAT.
Le STRAT "This is only a preliminary earnings," said Reuters Health. "It does not mean that marijuana really help to lose weight, but maybe there's a component that does."
The study, published in the American Journal of epidemiology, contain two surveys of adults in the United States - one about 43,000 people, over 9,300 other respondents. Both had of branches of the US national institutes of health between 2001 and 2003 performed.
The larger the polls not found 14 percent of the pot smokers obese compared to 22 percent, the pot smoking. Also the smaller survey found 17 percent of the pot-smoking obese be compared to 25 percent of the non-smoking.
All respondents two surveys smoked pot between four and seven percent, she said at least three times a week.
Whether she had smoked cigarettes also does not affect the results of obesity.
The researchers consider not whether diet and lack of exercise were different in pot smokers and non-smoking.
According to an another recent poll, from the substance abuse and mental health services administration is pot use on the rise in the United States marijuana 2010 a nearly 18 million Americans a year increase of around 15 million in 2007.
Scientists have the role to block various molecules within marijuana smoke, high feeling, pain, and may be subject to the hunger for food in the rule provoked, explored by using pot.
Cannabinoids, molecules natural signaling chemicals in the body, similar to be believed, key to stimulates appetite. Was so much so that in 2006 a drug rimonabant, called, which is designed to combat cannabinoids, developed.
Rimonabant has been in more than 30 countries-but not in the USA-for the treatment of obesity. But the drug was pulled from shelves two years later by an increased risk of suicide among users.
Whether cannabinoids pot are the only appetite stimulants in smoke, or whether other chemicals for the effect could take into account, remains to be seen, the researchers say.
Dr. Vincenzo Di Marzo, Professor at the Institute of Biomolecular Chemistry in Pozzuoli, Italy, who was not part of the study, was not in the meantime their results at all surprised. "There is no evidence, that repeatedly body weight can increase use of marijuana."
Di Marzo precautions, which don't, see the study that smoking pot helps you lose weight, but he believes that it is a starting point for future research.
Le STRAT warned against feeling and also experiment with pot as a diet aid.
"I see people with marijuana dependence," explained Le STRAT. "I hope that people do not interpret the results mean that if they use marijuana, they are to lose weight."

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HEALTH MANAGEMENT. New discovery to new heart 'Mechanism', establishing targets for heart therapies

In tomorrow's issue of the journal Science, researchers describe a new mechanism, which communicate by heart cells to the heart beat to rules for the first time the University of Maryland. Language used by the cells a surprise is, because it employs very reactive chemicals that say for the damage they do and for basic cell functions, are not known, researchers.
The authors mechanically individual heart cells, stretched to simulate the behavior of the heart, if it fills with blood with each heartbeat. She discovered to her surprise, that the line generated a small outbreak of reactive oxygen species (ROS), also known as free radicals. While free radicals generally harmful for the cell and are the target of anti-oxidants (substances that help to stop deterioration), found the authors, that the small, controlled burst of ROS normal calcium signals activated, the contraction of the healthy heart to rules.
On the other hand, a larger, uncontrolled burst of ROS was harmful. Caused the essential calcium signaling Askew, go the uncontrolled burst of ROS in these cells, which can interfere with normal heart rhythm and trigger arrhythmias.
You define the mechanisms that included in this process, this study offers new destinations for the treatment of heart disease, the researchers concluded.
"We have a signal which otherwise invisible, exposed," said W. Jonathan Lederer, MD, PhD, co-author and Director of the University of Maryland Center for biomedical engineering and technology (bio EUROMET). 1993 Discovered Lederer and colleagues calcium "spark," the elemental calcium signals, the contraction of the heart to rules. Then spark in 2009, Lederer and Christopher MD, associate Ward, Professor, University of Maryland School of nursing and co-author of the Science paper, for the first time identified with a group of Oxford University, that calcium could activate a heart cell elongation. The molecular mechanisms behind this process and the impact the it for disease, place remained however hard to work up to the present.
Discovery of such molecular signaling is important for two reasons. First, it helps heart physiologists understand basic physiological heart operations. "We can now look at a whole heart phenomenon, but study it on a mobile phone-level and down, what is really happening in the cell each heart", says co-author Benjamin Prosser, PhD, postdoc, bio MET. "We think that we have identified a mechanism that occurs in each heart cell with each heartbeat, and which is essential for the regulation of calcium-version in the heart."
In a larger context, Prosser, says "we have discovered a mechanism that contributes to oxidative stress [in the heart]." It is clear that ROS overproduction causing oxidative stress can, the negative function of the heart effects. However, the source of this excess ROS is still discussed. After could ward "Team discoveries in particular depth studies of muscular dystrophy and other forms of heart disease be." We believe that this uncontrolled production by ROS is important, of faulty heart problem. "We want that to test the theory."
Enable the discovery of Prosser et al., was their invention and development of a new biological glue, MyoTak ™. The biological "glue" allows the researcher to attach individual heart cells resources, the mechanical properties of the cell, to learn a new technology which is now marketed researchers worldwide. Both companies have licensed the biological Glue: IonOptix (Milton, Massachusetts) and world precision instruments (Sarasota, Florida)
The science Ward paper Prosser, and Lederer is "X-ROS signaling: fast Mechano chemical signal transduction in heart," 9 September 2011.

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HEALTH MANAGEMENT. Parent sleep advice can raise children shut-eye

Geneva Pittman
NEW YORK | 9. September 2011 4: 08 pm EDT
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - screening children to the sleep problems and sleep strategies discuss with parents could teenagers at school with better night-time rules, routines help, suggests new research from Australia.
Researchers found that if they had sleep-related consultations have with parents, children, the tend to be less sleep problems and to get better bedtime as children whose parents do not advise habits.
The study was small and not to demonstrate that the sleep improvements to changes in academic achievements of children this year.
Still, the results show that "sleep disorders in school children are treatable using... a short behavioral intervention", said study author Jon QUACH, at the University of Melbourne, Reuters Health in an e-Mail.
"Consult parents should sleep for your child if they are concerned," he added.
In five and six-year-old, that related behavior, most sleeping children on researchers say.
"Some of them have poor sleeping habits, where become too late to bed, they have a good-night routine nor many of them have even parents for them to stay, when they go to sleep at night", said Pediatric sleep specialist Jodi Mindell, St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia, which was not involved in the study.
"In this age group some night, fear" said they, and fear may increase as the children start school.
The current study on this back-to-school timeframe, including children, who were led in their first year of primary school. This is an important window for the treatment of insomnia, Quach said, since children, who sleep well might not more trouble, the transition to the school, that school performance and poorer relations puts it later for worse.
Quach and his colleagues studied about 1,500 parents of children from 22 different elementary schools in Melbourne. These parents 161 said her child had a moderate or severe sleep and 108 were recruited for the study. Children with serious breathing problems sleep-related, for example were excluded.
Half of the participating parents had followed a private consultation in College, by a telephone call of two weeks later behaviour to discuss sleep strategies based on their child problems. The other half were not additional help offered.
Next year, the researchers investigated parents over their children shut-eye again. Six months after the first consultation, they all gave children learn an assessment.
Sleep problems tend to dissolve in both groups, reported researchers in Pediatrics. Yet children, whose parents had sleep-related advice in General, better.
After six months or 26 percent of children in the consultation group and in the no-Consulting Group 47% of moderate or hard sleep disorders. By a year but there was no difference, and about one-third of children in both groups had insomnia.
Children in the consultation group less resistance before going to sleep and less time had to go to bed, parents reportedly. But there was no difference in how well she determined on scientific tests to measure, reading, mathematics and spelling skills have.
Quach and colleagues found that the study was small and a follow up with more children among other things, the students for more than a year tracking needs be-. It may be that improvements translate sleep better in academic abilities would take, she said.
Mindell said: "There is no question" that this type of program with school Advisor or nurses the sleep consultation in the U.S. schools could work. "I think this is a wake up call for teachers and school psychologists, they need to always on the lookout for sleep disorders," said Reuters Health.
For now she had to have some important tips for parents of young children, who sleep problems.
The "really simple changes," she said, are: "for your child to bed goes, before nine - we know that this is the turning point;" including reading as part of the bedtime routine-it helps calm children down, there is a focus on them, it helps with writing, it's all good; "then children encourage to fall asleep on their own."
Finally, make sure that there are no unwanted electronics in the nursery, she said. "The game boys will be go on, the computer Los, mobile phones become los."
Source: bit.ly/pXdFNv Pediatrics, online 2. September 2011.

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HEALTH MANAGEMENT. Marshall of Edwards Announces start of phase I clinical trial with lead oncology drug candidate ME-143

Marshall of Edwards, Inc. (NASDAQ: MSHL), the clinical development of novel therapeutics for cancer metabolism, oncology company has today announced the initiation of a phase I clinical trial of the company's drug candidates ME-143 in patients with solid tumors carry fireproof. The study is in collaboration with the Sarah Cannon Research Institute in Nashville, Tennessee, after the adoption of the investigational application administration (FDA) last month is carried out new drug (IND) by the U.S. food and drug.
The phase I dose escalation study evaluates the safety and tolerability of intravenous ME-143 fireproof in patients with solid tumors. In addition, the study is to characterize the pharmacokinetic profile of intravenous ME-143 and describe each preliminary clinical tumor activity observed. The open-label study is to register expected to up to 24 patients with data collected final by in the second half of 2012.
"We are pleased to begin treating patients with ME-143, a promising drug candidate, the anti-tumor activity in pre-clinical studies demonstrated", Robert D. said mass, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Marshall of Edwards. "Together with the Sarah Cannon Research Institute, we are important information on dosage, safety and potential effectiveness of intravenous ME-143 in the coming months, inform the design of our randomized clinical phase II trials in combination with standard of care chemotherapy obtain."
About ME-143
ME-143 is the lead oncology drug candidates by Marshall Edwards' NADH oxidase inhibitor program. It comes from a proprietary isoflavones technology platform that has generated a number of connections with Anti-proliferative activity against cancer cells in laboratory studies. In pre-clinical studies, ME-143 strong activity has shown against a number of tumor cell lines, including breast cancer, colorectal and ovarian cancer. In addition to the wide single-agent activity, ME-143 has shown an ability to the cytotoxic effects of chemotherapy in pre-clinical studies. Marshall of Edwards has exclusive worldwide rights to ME-143. ME-143 was is an investigational drug and not by the FDA for commercial distribution in the United States or other countries.

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HEALTH MANAGEMENT. FDA advisers cautiously on bone drug

NOBILITY PHILEX, Maryland | September 9, 2011 8: 24 pm EDT
NOBILITY PHILEX, Maryland (Reuters) - U.S. health advisers rejected it, takes how long women beat a class of drugs by millions to prevent bone fractures, but agreed that the labels uncertainty about the risks and benefits to be modified according to long-term use.
The food and drug had asked Administration to recommend whether a "drug holiday" or some period was justified, for a class of osteoporosis drugs known as bisphosphonates that unusual thigh fractures and other side effects in conjunction was brought two of its consultative bodies.
Now the consultants have at tailored hardened, making changes, on Friday coding with many indicating how often patients require a review they need medicine.
Panelists concerns again and again, that they have not enough evidence, to specific suggestions or conclusions to find, and some awareness of such uncertainties in the term recommended, as well as.
"I don't think that we restrict enough data to anything at this point have", said Dr. Maria Suarez Vacceans, Professor at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and a member of.
In the year under review include Merck & co Fosamax, Warner Chilcott ACTONEL, BONIVA Roche and Novartis Reclast. This class of drugs was linked to osteonecrosis of the jaw or jaw bone death and possible increased risk of cancer.
Presented by the FDA and industry not paint studies consultants a coherent picture that whether benefits outweigh the risks bisphosphonates for longer than three to five years or how exactly each of these drugs take influenced various subgroups of patients, said.
"I'm used to dealing with ambiguous situations in a clinical setting, but as a result, this will be at different heights," said Brian Erstad, pharmacy Professor at the University of Arizona and a member of the drug safety and risk management advisory panel.
RISKS & BENEFITS
Some 4.5 million Americans age 55-filled recipes for bisphosphonates in 2009, mostly women after the menopause, osteoporosis, a progressive bone thinning condition that usually caused fractures in the hip, wrist or spine.
The use of drugs said FDA employees unusually femur associated with fractures, and increases the risk of jaw bone death that more people keep them orally. But she said that the evidence of an increased risk of cancer was incompatible.
BONIVA is available as an injection or a tablet, Aclasta is an injection, and other drugs are taken orally.
FDA researchers to stay their use found no advantage on the medication for five years and without loss of effectiveness from discontinued. Pharmaceutical companies, but warned that a comprehensive introduction to a break in the treatment of the FDA may expose patients to more fractures.
"Despite rare side effects, patients, the use of bisphosphonates have fewer fractures and low mortality, and this knowledge must be shared with our patients," said Dr. Robert Adler, an invited speaker and Professor of Endocrinology at the Virginia Commonwealth University.
With millions who reached taking the medication, the sale of Merck's Fosamax $3 billion in 2007, but sales plunged the competition from cheaper generics from early 2008 to $ 926 million in 2010 with the pill.
Analysts said mounting concerns bisphosphonates patients to Amgen Inc new medicine, Prolia, a different kind of osteoporosis drug can drive.
BAD REP
Orrel Lanter Fosamax Merck and the generic version, chemically as alendronate, has known nine years.
"I felt something go" snap-in "my leg." My right foot flopped out on the right side and my leg was a noodle which pain was unbearable, "the adviser told on Friday." In the emergency room was told her that she had an atypical femur fracture, which leads them to years bisphosphonates.
"I was crippled now links through this terrible drug happy healthy, very active in the free woman", Lanter said, which is now 68 and went out of the room, with a stick.
Since Merck Fosamax 1995 obtained the first Bisphosphonate for osteoporosis, the names of the drugs in this class were several reviews and changes.
In 2005, a warning of higher risk of osteonecrosis of the jaw was labels, and added in 2009, a deposit of gastrointestinal side effects. Earlier this year, the labels have been changed to add a warning of atypical femur fractures and Reclast the label now mentions an increased risk of kidney failure.
However, pharmaceutical companies agreed and some of the panelists, that some groups of patients, perhaps the highest risk, could benefit from bone fractures of longer-term use of such drugs.
Whether and how these problems now up to the is
FDA.
(Reporting by Alina Selyukh;) Additional reporting by Ransdell Pierson; (Editing by Tim Dobbyn)

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HEALTH MANAGEMENT. Mold removal in homes, offices could cut respiratory diseases

A new evidence finds review free, homes and offices of mildew and moisture respiratory infections, and to reduce can disturbing symptoms for asthma sufferers all over the world; the best way to eliminate the form remains unclear.
Mold is one of the most important environmental trigger of symptoms such as coughing and wheezing, health sciences according to National Institute of environmental.
"Form found partially or completely underground and in buildings, which have been flooded or poor humidity control, will have many with Keller, in homes and work stoppages,", said Peter Thorne, head of the Department of occupational safety and health at the University of Iowa. "House and office building both have problems."
But makes a big difference apartments, offices and schools of moisture and mold "Correction" or relief? Examiner Riitta Sauni of the Finnish Institute of occupational health in, run Tampere, Finland, said that the results are mixed.
"We were glad evidence that rehabilitation of damaged houses reduced form, severity, and the level of symptoms in patients with asthma and respiratory, infections," Sauni said. "Unfortunately, we found does not prove that the meditation of these diseases could prevent."
The review appears in the September issue of the Cochrane Library, a publication of the Cochrane Collaboration, an international organization that evaluates research in all areas of health care. Systematic reviews draw conclusions about evidence-based medical practice taking into account both the content and the quality of the existing studies on a subject.
Remediation of mold and moisture requires full or partial renovation of a building or cleaning with a fungicide or bleach solution. Sauni and her team saw eight studies with 6.538 participants, their homes, schools or workplaces, which had restored through a combination of these methods. The reviews say that because the available studies do not provide high-quality evidence have and sample sizes were small, "hard conclusions difficult."
Yet, the review found that compared to anything at all to do, repair houses asthma symptoms as also the amount of infections of the respiratory tract in adult. Recovery reduces the number of acute care visits to children and students visit to doctors for colds.
Study in a South Wales, for example, 115 members of the Group had their homes with a fungicide treatment and installation of fan, restored the complete removal of visible form, improve their respiratory symptoms for six and 12 months later were rather, compared to those in the control group, whose Häuser were not cleaned up.
The reviews could not determine however, which method was superior to the rehabilitation clear reduction of asthma symptoms.
"The studies have shown that after the cleaning and, apply fungicidal treatment, a large number of buildings soon with mold new infections have been, and must also be a partial office building more thoroughly had to be repaired," said Sauni, adding that removing mold can be expensive.
"Sometimes, if the structures are far damaged, is the simplest and most cost-effective option open the damp buildings and create a new" she said.
The reviews came to the conclusion that better research be must demonstrate better results.

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HEALTH MANAGEMENT. Cash crunch hits Swaziland AIDS patients: MSF

JOHANNESBURG | September 9, 2011 1: 08 pm EDT
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - an acute Government funding crisis in Swaziland, last absolute monarchy of Africa, interruption of the supply of HIV/AIDS drugs and impede the fight against the virus in the country with the world's highest infection rate, said Medecins Sans Frontiers (MSF) Friday.
Stocks of test kits and related chemicals were "almost dry," it carries on - to the impossible, with the progress of 70,000 patients to the treatment and more than 130,000 people, the virus chart, said the aid organization.
"We run after the epidemic." Aymeric Peguillan, MSF country head, we don't the epidemic manage, ", said Reuters in the neighbouring South Africa.
Swaziland is one of 26 percent of the adult population, or more than 200,000 people it infected with the strongest country affected by AIDS.
King Mswati III resolved to pay, but as the full extent of the budget crisis in March for the patients to treatment are clear-appointed Government, that commitment glides and is the supply of anti-AIDS drugs is disturbed, Peguillan said.
"There is no real protection." There is no money aside and guaranteed only used for deliveries of drugs, "he said."
The deteriorating health, which also lack of tuberculosis drugs, is likely to fuel public anger on Mswati, has at least a dozen women and a personal fortune estimated at $200 million.
Demanding political reforms have staged this week a number of brands trade unions and pro-democracy groups and Wednesday, several demonstrators were arrested and beaten, as the police with tear gas and batons crowds to disperse.
The Government has Bail-Out to South Africa for an emergency, attempts have and inserted to secure a loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Pretoria agreed to borrow $340 million in August, but the agreement came amid indications that Mswati and his inner circle South African demands for political and economic reforms are an objection to a halt.
The financial crisis stems from a recession 2009 in South Africa, a sharp drop in regional Customs Union revenues, the two-thirds of the Swazi Government revenues historically have taken into account.
The budget deficit has exploded 14 per cent of GDP to a Greece scale, but the Government fell to the reduction of public expenditure on the Royal household, military and other areas officially what Africa is of the most bloated civil service.
(Reporting by Ed Cropley;) (Editing by Jon hemming)

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HEALTH MANAGEMENT. Manual describes how ultrasound use in emergencies for brain errors

The discovery that low-intensity, pulsed ultrasound can be used to noninvasively stimulate intact brain circuits holds promise for engineering rapid-response medical devices. The team that made that discovery, led by William "Jamie" Tyler, an assistant professor with the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, has now produced an in-depth article detailing this approach, which may one day lead to first-line therapies in combating life-threatening epileptic seizures.HEALTH MANAGEMENT

Status epilepticus is a condition in which the brain is in a state of persistent seizure and which, if not halted, can lead to Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP). But, as the recent article by Tyler and colleagues shows, ultrasonic neuromodulation does not necessarily need to be focused to attenuate epileptic seizures, meaning that it can be quickly applied in neurocritical care situations. TESCO HEALTH INSURANCE

"Imagine a device like an automatic external defibrillator except for the brain," said first author Yusuf Tufail, who is now a postdoctoral associate at the Salk Institute for Biological Sciences.
Published in the September issue of "Nature Protocols," the article, "Ultrasonic Neuromodulation by Brain Stimulation with Transcranial Ultrasound," provides a guide for the further development and clinical application of ultrasonic neuromodulation. The authors Yusuf Tufail, Anna Yoshihiro, and Monica M. Li of Arizona State University's School of Life Sciences; Sandipan Pati of Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, Ariz.; and corresponding author Tyler also published their earlier research into the feasibility of this approach in "Neuron" in 2010. HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Ultrasound is an acoustic wave occurring at frequencies exceeding the range of human hearing. Uses range from food processing to communication and include medical imaging. Tyler and his research group have spent several years developing noninvasive methods for brain stimulation employing low-intensity, low-frequency (LILFU) ultrasound. "Much of our time had been spent on understanding the biological effects of LILFU on intact brain circuits and how to control neural activity using LILFU," Tyler said. WPA HEALTH INSURANCE

The team has observed that the mechanical bioeffects of ultrasound are indeed capable of stimulating neuronal activity, meaning that ultrasound could join other therapies for neurological disorders namely, implanted electrodes, such as those used in deep-brain stimulation, and external magnetic stimulators used for transcranial magnetic stimulation to treat disorders such as Parkinson's disease, major depression, and dystonia. The major advantage of using ultrasound for brain stimulation is that it can confer spatial resolution at millimeter precision while being focused through the skull to deep-brain regions without the need for invasive brain surgery, Tyler said. AHM HEALTH INSURANCE

"We have also shown that ultrasound can be used to stimulate synaptic transmission between groups of neurons within the brain in a manner similar to conventional implanted stimulating electrodes without generating significant heating of the brain tissue," said Tyler.

"Further studies are required to fully elucidate the many potential mechanisms underlying the ability of ultrasound to stimulate neuronal activity in the intact brain," the article states. However, while using ultrasound for brain stimulation represents a powerful new tool for clinical neuroscience, there are potential concerns, since high-intensity ultrasound is also capable of destroying biological tissues, the researchers write.
The article reports that ultrasound has been used for many hours across many weeks, "stimulating cellular circuits in the living brain without producing damage in mice as assessed with cellular, histological, ultrastructural, and behavioral methods." The researchers added a note of caution: "Additional investigations across animal species and dosage levels are required, however, before the safety can be fully ascertained."
Moving this technology forward will require scientists, engineers, and physicians spanning many disciplines. The impetus for the "Nature Protocols" article is to disseminate basic methods for conducting ultrasonic neuromodulation. "There is a major need for increased open communication among engineers designing ultrasound-based medical devices, neuroscientists studying the core biological effects of ultrasound, and clinicians implementing ultrasound for therapeutic interventions," said Tyler.

The "Nature Protocols" article poses specific questions needing to be addressed, such as how ultrasound affects neurons on a molecular and cellular level, how to correct for impedance mismatches between skin and skull interfaces, and the need for characterizing safety across different exposure times, applications, and disease states.

The research reported in the article provides the provocative demonstration that ultrasonic neuromodulation is capable of attenuating seizure activity during pharmacologically induced status epilepticus in rodents. "While other research groups have reported that focused ultrasound can modulate seizure activity in the brain, the approaches used in those earlier studies require timely preparations and the implementation of MRI to focus the ultrasound in an approach known as magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound," said Tyler. "Our findings show that clinicians may not need to take such complicated, costly, and time-consuming approaches to treating patients in critical situations."

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HEALTH MANAGEMENT. Neurosurgery assembles recent works on concussion in sport

The last few years have seen increasing concern about the effects of concussions and head trauma in the sport, including the risk of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in the athlete. The editors of neurosurgery, Official Journal of the Congress of neurological of surgeons, have created a new online collection of important current research on concussions and head injuries in the sport. The newsletter is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, published a part of Wolters Kluwer Health. HEALTH MANAGEMENT

The new collection is now available and can be viewed by you on the tab "Collections" on the website of the magazine. "We have seen a large number of website visitors, looking for items for concussions in athletes in CTE,", editor of the neurosurgery commented Nelson M. Oyesiku, m.d., PhD.. "Our new collection on concussion in sport to find relief and key evidence on this emerging and critically important issue access."
Science behind the news about health concussion in sports. TESCO HEALTH INSURANCE

The interest in sports-related head trauma reflects growing evidence that repeatedly can have long-term effects on health in athletes from concussions. Recent scientific reports have CTE a progressive neurodegenerative disease by repeated head trauma, especially in high level athletes seen described. Patients with CTE develop mood disorders, cognitive dysfunction, and other years typically make psychiatric symptoms after a history of repeated concussions. HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

The new collection provides some of the most important research on concussions and head traumas in sport, drawn from the pages of neurosurgery. It contains articles in the collection to describe the 2005 paper, which was the first CTE in a former player in the National Football League (NFL).
Subsequent papers will strengthen the association between recurrent concussion and long-term "dementia-related syndrome" in American-football players and other athletes. The latest additions are two studies by 2011 describe new subtypes of CTE and the relationship between anabolic steroids and head injuries. Other articles deal with the results of concussions in young athletes including important evidence lead return play after a head injury. WPA HEALTH INSURANCE

Speak Goodell neurosurgeons on concussions in the NFL
Recently announced amid growing concerns about concussion in sports of the Congress of neurological surgeons, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell that speaks to the Congress annual meeting, October 1, 6, 2011 held, Mr. Goodell address in Washington, D.C. neurosurgeons of the NFL efforts to reduce the incidence and to improve the management of concussion in football. AHM HEALTH INSURANCE

The collection on concussion in sport is the latest in a series of collections on topics of particular interest to the neurosurgery Web site published. All visitors can view the theme collections, together with summaries of articles included. The Congress of neurological of surgeons and all individual subscribers have published full online access to all articles in neurosurgery.

Concussion in sports and CTE for new papers will be added to the collection, as they are published. Editors and publishers of neurosurgery hope, the Assembly of this important article for the easy access and reference will promote an accurate scientific understanding of the problem and cause, that progress in the clarification and long-term health issues related to preventing sports-related head trauma.

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HEALTH MANAGEMENT. Genomic analysis of the Superbug provides guidance for antibiotic resistance

An analysis of the genome of a superbug has yielded crucial, novel information that could aid efforts to counteract the bacterium's resistance to an antibiotic of last resort. The results of the research led by scientists from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) are published in the Sept. 8 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.HEALTH MANAGEMENT

Superbugs are bacteria that are resistant to multiple antibiotics and represent one of the most challenging health problems of the 21st century. Infections caused by these bacteria can lead to longer illnesses, extended hospital stays and in some instances death. Antibiotic resistance is on the rise and alternative treatments are frequently suboptimal. TESCO HEALTH INSURANCE

Researchers focused on a superbug called vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), which is an intestinal bacterium that is resistant to multiple antibiotics, particularly vancomycin, a drug that has been used for treatment of potentially lethal hospital-associated infections. HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

"It is the second most common bacterium isolated from patients in U.S. hospitals after staphylococci," said Cesar Arias, M.D., Ph.D., the study's lead author and principal investigator. He is an associate professor of medicine at the UTHealth Medical School.

"The problem is that VRE has become so resistant that we don't have reliable antibiotics to treat it anymore," Arias said. "Daptomycin is one of the few antibiotics left with activity against VRE and is usually used as a drug of last resort. Additionally, this particular superbug is frequently seen in debilitated patients such as those in critical care units, receiving cancer treatment and patients receiving transplants, among others; therefore the emergence of resistance during therapy is a big issue." WPA HEALTH INSURANCE

VRE itself can develop resistance to daptomycin during treatment. To find out why, researchers compared the genomes of bacterial samples drawn from the blood of a patient with VRE bloodstream infection receiving daptomycin. The bacterium developed daptomycin resistance and the patient subsequently died.
By comparing the genetic makeup of the bacterium before and after it developed resistance to daptomycin, the researchers were able to identify changes in genes directly tied to antibiotic resistance. "Our research provides direct substantiation that changes in two bacterial genes are sufficient for the development of daptomycin resistance in VRE during therapy," Arias said. AHM HEALTH INSURANCE

Barbara Murray, M.D., coauthor and director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the UTHealth Medical School, said, "These results lay the foundation for understanding how bacteria may become resistant to daptomycin, which opens immense possibilities for targeting the functions encoded by these mutated genes. This would be a step toward the development of much needed new drugs. That is, once we understand the exact mechanism for resistance, one can start to develop strategies that block or attack the resistance mechanism."

Murray, holder of the J. Ralph Meadows Professorship in Internal Medicine, added, "This study identified genes never before linked to antibiotic resistance in enterococci. The genomic approach used in the study is very powerful and was able to pinpoint exactly the specific genes and mutations within them that resulted in the failure of daptomycin (CUBICIN®) therapy and contributed to the fatal outcome of the patient."
Arias' laboratory is doing additional research needed to determine the precise mechanisms by which the gene changes allow the bacterium to defeat the antibiotic. "There are mutations that appear to alter the bacterial cell envelope, which is the target of the antibiotic. The modifications brought about by the gene mutations may change the cell envelope to avoid the killing by these antibiotics. We believe these changes are a general mechanism by which bacteria protect themselves," Arias said.

Herbert DuPont, M.D., holder of the Mary W. Kelsey Distinguished Professorship in the Medical Sciences and director of the Center for Infectious Diseases at The University of Texas School of Public Health, said, "Twenty years ago antibiotic-resistant bacteria more often caused hospital-acquired infections in people with underlying illness or advanced age. Now, resistant bacteria are often seen in the community in otherwise healthy people, making treatment very complicated."

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HEALTH MANAGEMENT. New progress largely protective HIV vaccines provide reason for optimism in development

The human body can produce powerful antibodies by an array of HIV strains to protect cells in the laboratory from an infection. In people, the recent research however shows that this is not, a broadly neutralizing antibodies effective or timely enough in HIV infected individuals effectively block progression of infection are produced, appear only after a person with HIV for at least a year - has been infected, where the virus is fully established within the body. HEALTH MANAGEMENT

They claim in an article of the perspective, the this week in the New England Journal of medicine, scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and infectious diseases (NIAID), part of the national institutes of health that a key to develop HIV vaccines aim to prevent HIV infection, by you inducing effective immune responses than those which occur naturally. TESCO HEALTH INSURANCE

In her article, the authors examine the challenges of the development of HIV vaccines that can effectively raise these broadly neutralizing antibodies. In particular, they describe work on HIV vaccines based on the way to design the structure, as well as neutralize efforts to gain a better understanding of the evolutionary processes that human B cells undergo largely to produce HIV antibodies. HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

AHM HEALTH INSURANCE. The authors conclude that the availability of new research, together tools with increased understanding of the human immune response against HIV, they make optimistic that an HIV vaccine, which provides significant protection against acquisition of HIV can be achieved. WPA HEALTH INSURANCE

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HEALTH MANAGEMENT. Chemotherapy is so effectively before as after surgery of breast cancer

Whether chemotherapy will not affect long-term local regional results, before or after breast conservation therapy (BCT) what success should more biological factors as chemotherapy timing, according to a study by researchers of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. HEALTH MANAGEMENT

Today presenting at the 2011 Breast Cancer Symposium, the study also found that that neoadjuvant chemotherapy (before specific surgery) often shrinking cancer breast tumors, so they probably treatable with BCT or a Lumpectomy, a part of the chest, followed by radiation to remove. TESCO HEALTH INSURANCE

"Even women with clinical stage 2 or 3 breast cancer can have good results with BCT after chemotherapy and do not need a mastectomy," said Elizabeth Ann Mittendorf, m.d., Assistant Professor in the Department of surgical oncology and principal author of the study. "The molecular characteristics of the tumour and other factors have impact on the success, but not in the order, are specified in the chemotherapy and surgery."
The retrospective study of almost 3,000 women treated breast cancer at the MD Anderson from 1987 to 2005 confirmed several previous studies which show that BCT offers high of cancer control for certain patients. HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Approaches have similar results
Patients examined which only 78 percent surgery before chemotherapy and 22 percent received chemotherapy. Overall, women with more cancer, more adverse prognostic factors that tended to be treated first with chemotherapy. WPA HEALTH INSURANCE

Five and 10 years local regional recurrence time prices were very good for both groups: 97% and 94% and for those, the operation before chemotherapy, 93 percent and 90 percent were for patients, the first chemotherapy.

Mittendorf said, that if malicious features, such as stage and grade of the cancer, age of patient and tumor hormone expression, in were taken into account, the same survival rates primarily for both groups of women.
Neoadjuvant therapy of to complete pathological response when 20% of patients and cancer stage in almost half of the patients that increase stage 2 or 3 cancer before chemotherapy, reduced the likelihood that BCT can effectively for many women after chemotherapy. AHM HEALTH INSURANCE

Book value results forward
"This study shows that women according to selected for BCT, even some women with breast cancer of phase 3, excellent rates of local regional control can have," said Mittendorf. "The most important is made all the factors, to determine the most benefit from this approach can."
The Group intends to expand the M.D. Anderson study patients are handled after 2005.
"Since 2005 treatment techniques have improved, including the ability to add targeted therapies to chemotherapy," she said. "In the future are looking at the effects of the newer agents, and we expect that the results will be even more convenient for women to receive these treatments before the operation."

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HEALTH MANAGEMENT. Individual 'errors' in connection with Parkinson's mechanism for the conversion of a cell affects genetic code in proteins

Less than two months after publication of results of Parkinson's a new genes for late onset disease, have linked the same team of scientists at the University of British Columbia and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute for the neurodegenerative disease - which still aim for potential treatments an another gene discovered. HEALTH MANAGEMENT

The mutation, a "typo" under three billion nucleotides in DNA, lays down the mechanism for the conversion of a cell genetic code into proteins. The results are published journal of human genetics in the American.
The mutation, EIF4G1, was found in a family from France, has a high rate of the disease--more than half of the members of each generation develop. TESCO HEALTH INSURANCE
The lead researchers on the study, Matthew Farrer, Professor in the Department of medical genetics and Canada Excellence Research Chair in neurogenetics and translational Neuroscience at UBC, says, that if the location of the mutation was discovered, and it determines which conditions it affected, "Very much at first does not make sense." HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

"A gene in a protein to translate a such basic operation to the life of a cell," says Farrer, of the Dr. Donald RIX b.c. leadership Chair of genetic medicine was named last week. "I thought it would probably be not to this form of Parkinson's disease, lead, appears later in the life of an individual, and relates to only a small subset of brain cells."
But Farrer, Member of the brain research centre at UBC and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, realized that this particular protein translation is important only if the cell is confronted by some kind of stress - for example a lack of oxygen and nutrients. WPA HEALTH INSURANCE

In addition, the protein specifically regulates the cell reuse capability, its own components. Parkinson, contains an important link to disease because a hallmark of Parkinson's the presence of "Lewy bodies is" - collections of discarded proteins which remain, that in certain brain cells caught.
More than 100,000 Canadians, about one million Americans and more than 10 million people worldwide are affected by Parkinson's disease. Symptoms include trembling in hands, arms, legs and face, rigidity in the limbs and torso, as well as slow movement and poor balance and coordination. There is currently no cure, and most treatments only combat the symptoms.
"This discovery provides direct evidence that can result in Parkinson's disease by gene - environmental interactions," says Farrer. "The resulting impairment underlines neural recycling systems as the focal point in efforts to develop a more effective drugs." AHM HEALTH INSURANCE

The genetic samples obtained through cooperation with researchers of the Université Lille Nord de France, began in 1998. Much of the work in the laboratory was performed while Farrer at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida worked.
The majority of the support for the research came from the French Government and the US national institutes of health.

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HEALTH MANAGEMENT. Data show that fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome with defective neuronal RNA transport can be connected

SUNY Downstate scientist Ilham Muslimov, MD, PhD, together with the senior author Henri Tiedge, PhD, Professor of Physiology and Pharmacology and neuroscience, published a study suggesting that associated with the cellular dysregulation certain neurodegenerative diseases caused by molecular competition neural RNA transport means.HEALTH MANAGEMENT

The paper appeared in the journal of cell biology, titled "spatial code recognition in neural RNA-targeting: the RNA HnRNP A2 roll interactions." The article was stressed in an accompanying editorial, "RNA-targeting will be competitive." TESCO HEALTH INSURANCE

Dr. Tiedge notes, "in contrast to DNA, can in what information encoding is one-dimensional (i.e., linearly), in three-dimensional architectural motifs encode RNA information." "Dr. Muslimov has now identified RNA motifs that serve as spatial codes in nerve cells, directed by RNA dendrites and synapses." A Synapse is a cross, to be able to pass the a neuron (neuron) an electrical or chemical signal to another cell, and dendrites are branched neurons, that Act, electrochemical stimulation, to carry out neuronal cell body.
He adds: "as number 7 in a New York u-Bahn train a code for the target ' Times Square', Dr. Muslimov RNA motifs code Dendrite and Synapse objectives for that." "They shall ensure that RNAs to cellular pages are delivered, where they are to work." HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

"Sometimes, a RNA expressions can an unreasonably high number of goals motives, with the result that the resources of the transport system are overwhelmed." It is at the same time trains as if give too many passengers to exceed system capacity. "We have traffic jams and traffic is interrupted."
Dr. Tiedge explains that Dr. Muslimov work indicates that dendritic delivery of RNA can result in nerve cells, excessive competition for general transport resources in vulnerable. "In the example, who studied the Dr. Muslimov, the culprit is a RNA, the genetic information for the fragile X mental retardation protein contains." "As soon as the number of motifs exceeds a threshold (usually around 55) structures in this RNA, the RNA is overly competitive and begins at the expense of other RNAs, common resources of cellular transport system to take over." WPA HEALTH INSURANCE

"Dr. Muslimov data increase the possibility that the resulting neurodegenerative disease, the fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome due to a neuronal transport problem is accelerated," concludes Dr. Tiedge. AHM HEALTH INSURANCE

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HEALTH MANAGEMENT. Connection between liquor store density and youth murder, violent crimes

Violent crime could be reduced significantly if policymakers at the local level limit the number of neighborhood liquor stores and ban the sale of single-serve containers of alcoholic beverages, according to separate studies led by University of California, Riverside researchers. HEALTH MANAGEMENT

In the first of two groundbreaking studies published in the September issue of the journal Drug and Alcohol Review - "Alcohol availability and youth homicide in 91 of the largest U.S. cities, 1984-2006" - researchers found a correlation between the density of alcohol outlets and violent crime rates among teens and young adults ages 13 to 24. Study authors were sociology professors Robert N. Parker and Kirk R. Williams, co-directors of the Presley Center for Crime and Justice Studies at UCR; Kevin J. McCaffree, UCR research assistant; sociology professor Emily K. Acensio of the University of Akron, who earned her Ph.D. at UCR; Angela Browne of the Vera Institute of Justice in Washington, D.C.; and Kevin J. Strom and Kelle Barrick of RTI International in Research Triangle Park, N.C.TESCO HEALTH INSURANCE

The second study, "The impact of retail practices on violence: The case of single serve alcohol beverage containers," examined crime rates and cooler space allocated to containers sold individually in San Bernardino, Calif. Researchers generally found higher rates of violent crime in neighborhoods around alcohol outlets that allot more than 10 percent of cooler space for single-serve containers. Study authors were Parker, McCaffree and Daniel Skiles of the Institute for Public Strategies in San Bernardino.HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Drug and Alcohol Review is published by the Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and Other Drugs.
"These results suggest that alcohol control can be an important tool in violence prevention," Parker said. "Policies designed to reduce outlet density can provide relief from violence in and around these neighborhood outlets. And banning or reducing the sales of single-serve, ready-to-consume containers of alcohol can have an additional impact on preventing violence."
Researchers in the first study analyzed federal crime data for offenders ages 13 to 17 and 18 to 24 and census population and economic data to determine crime rates and the density of beer, wine and liquor stores in 91 of the largest American cities in 36 states.WPA HEALTH INSURANCE

Taking into account other factors known to contribute to youth homicide rates - such as poverty, drugs, availability of guns, and gangs - the researchers found that higher densities of liquor stores, providing easy access to alcoholic beverages, contributed significantly to higher youth homicide rates.
"Our findings suggest that reducing retail alcohol outlet density should significantly reduce the trends of youth homicide," Parker said. AHM HEALTH INSURANCE

In the study of single-serve alcohol containers, researchers from UCR and the Institute for Public Strategies in San Bernardino collected data on alcohol outlet locations, violent crime reported to the San Bernardino Police Department and census data on a variety of population, family and age indicators. Workers from the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health's Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention Program visited every liquor store in the city, and counted the number of coolers containing alcoholic beverages at each location and the amount of cooler space devoted to single-serve containers.
All of that data was mapped using a Geographic Information Systems software program.
The researchers found that violent crime rates were significantly higher in neighborhoods that had both higher densities of liquor stores and retail outlets that devoted more cooler space for single-serve containers. The impact of sales of single-serve containers of alcoholic beverages alone was "modest," they said. The higher the percentage
"As far as we are aware, this is the first study of its kind to examine the impact of single-serve sales on violence, and the first study to use the proportion of cooler space as an indicator of sales volume of a type of alcoholic beverage," the researchers wrote. ... "There is no reason that communities concerned about single-serve containers and their impact cannot take regulatory action on the basis of this limited study. Community interests should dictate local policy, and the potential benefits of reduced violence outweigh any potential harm that the banning or limitation of such sales would create."
Parker said one type of regulatory measure that could be justified on the basis of the study's findings would be the adoption of a Deemed Approved Ordinance. Such a law would give cities more authority "to set acceptable standards of practice for existing alcohol retailers, as well as help to reduce existing outlet density by strengthening the local authority's ability to punish consistent violators of these standards of practice with the permanent loss of the ability to do business."
Cities included in the youth homicide study, by state:
Alabama: Birmingham, Mobile, Montgomery
Alaska: Anchorage
Arizona: Phoenix
Arkansas: Little Rock
California: Anaheim, Fresno, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Oakland, Riverside, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Ana, Stockton
Colorado: Colorado Springs, Denver
Georgia: Atlanta, Columbus
Hawaii: Honolulu
Illinois: Chicago
Indiana: Fort Wayne, Gary, Indianapolis
Iowa: Des Moines
Kentucky: Lexington-Fayette, Louisville
Louisiana: Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Shreveport
Maryland: Baltimore
Massachusetts: Boston, Springfield, Worcester
Michigan: Detroit, Flint, Grand Rapids
Minnesota: Minneapolis, St. Paul
Mississippi: Jackson
Missouri: Kansas City, St. Louis
Nebraska: Lincoln
Nevada: Las Vegas
New Jersey: Jersey City, Newark
New Mexico: Albuquerque
New York: Buffalo, New York City, Rochester, Syracuse
North Carolina: Charlotte, Greensboro, Raleigh
Ohio: Akron, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Toledo
Oklahoma: Oklahoma City, Tulsa
Oregon: Portland
Pennsylvania: Philadelphia, Pittsburgh
Rhode Island: Providence
Tennessee: Chattanooga, Knoxville, Memphis, Nashville-Davidson
Texas: Amarillo, Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas, El Paso, Fort Worth, Houston, Lubbock, San Antonio Utah: Salt Lake City
Virginia: Norfolk, Richmond, Virginia Beach
Washington: Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma
Wisconsin: Madison, Milwaukee
Top 100 cities eliminated from study for incomplete data: District of Columbia, Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Miami, Omaha, St. Petersburg, Tampa, Tucson and Wichita.

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HEALTH MANAGEMENT. Key protein associated with acute liver failure identified USC scientists

New research from the Keck help school of medicine which can University of Southern California (USC) to avoid damage to the liver caused by medication such as acetaminophen and other stressors.
Paracetamol, better known as Tylenol, can reduce pain and fever. The over-the-counter drug is an important part in many cold and flu remedies and prescription painkillers such as Percocet and vicodin. TESCO HEALTH INSURANCE

However, paracetamol (acetaminophen) the most common cause of drug-induced liver disease is metabolized by the liver, and liver failure, acute in the United States and Britain. The Tylenol maker announced in July that it was the maximum recommended daily dose to 3,000 mg to prevent that reduces accidental overdose.
Doctors at the Keck School of Medicine of USC found a protein in the mitochondria of liver cells in mice, if to silence brought, protects against liver toxicity normally associated with excess doses of acetaminophen.
They found that the protein SAB or SH3 binding protein 5, bonds with the enzyme JNK (c-Jun N-terminal kinase). JNK regulates cellular metabolism, and survival in response to stress, protects of the cells for short intervals enabled. JNK kills but also cells that are activated for a long time. HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

"Because the short-term activation of JNK survival of the cell is associated with, SAB is potentially a better target than inhibition of JNK, which could have adverse effects", Neil Kaplowitz, m.d., the study investigator and Professor of medicine at the Keck said school.
Researchers have long believed that acetaminophen to toxic metabolites, which was converted in excess, overpower liver cells, to die. In a study of 2008, Kaplowitz, who holds, that the Keck School Thomas H. brem Chair of medicine and Veronica p. Budnick Chair for liver disease and other USC members, that the theory – enabled, found that it not the metabolite, but rather the permanent activation of JNK, which damaged the organ. By the inhibition of JNK activation in mice, has been damage to the liver, which avoided by high doses of acetaminophen. HEALTH MANAGEMENT

In the current study, published online by the journal of biological chemistry in August SAB silent in mice, the scientists that had prevented successfully but no effect on the metabolism of paracetamol, injury of the liver. Tested the impact damage on liver apoptosis or programmed cell death due to inflammatory proteins, the SAB silencing in many diseases and tissue - involved are to protected the liver in this case. AHM HEALTH INSURANCE

"We proved that long-lasting activation of JNK aims is to SAB and a prerequisite for the subsequent death of liver cells", Kaplowitz said. "We then showed that it is a universal effect." Development of a drug against cell death to protect, it could be argued, aim JNK - but this is a double-edged sword. This provides a new goal: create a drug, that inhibit the interaction between JNK and SAB. " WPA HEALTH INSURANCE

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HEALTH MANAGEMENT. A chaperone for "Guardian of the genome"

The protein p53 plays an essential role in the prevention of cancer by initiating the controlled death of a cell with damaged genes which is in danger to transform into a cancerous cell. The heat shock protein Hsp90, in turn, activates and stabilizes p53. Now scientists of the Technische Universitaet Muenchen (TUM) have discovered both the site where the two proteins interact and the interaction mechanism. The results of their work are reported in the current edition of the publication Nature Structural and Molecular Biology. HEALTH MANAGEMENT

Every cell has thousands of proteins whose activity and lifetime must be regulated to control the cellular life cycle from cell division to cell death. The heat shock protein Hsp90 plays a key role in this process. It is a so-called chaperone, a quality controller, as it were. It monitors and controls the quality and activity of many important signal proteins and helps them take on the right form. When the cell is exposed to high stress levels from heat or a lack of oxygen, Hsp90 is produced in larger quantities to shield its partner proteins from damage. TESCO HEALTH INSURANCE

One of the most important partner proteins of Hsp90 is the tumor suppressor protein p53. It prevents the development of cancer at a number of points in the cell and is thus aptly referred to as the "guardian of the genome". When a cell's DNA becomes damaged, p53 ensures that the cell no longer divides and activates repair mechanisms. When too much genetic damage accumulates, the protein initiates a controlled cellular "suicide". When p53 is inactive, the cell continues to divide in spite of the damage and a tumor develops. In over half of all tumors the p53 protein is damaged or inactivated, meaning the control function cannot be carried out. HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Hsp90, on the other had, binds to p53 and keeps it in a functional state until it can fulfill its actual purpose: Binding to specific DNA elements. However, exactly how and where the binding of p53 to Hsp90 takes place was hitherto neither clear nor had it been structurally characterized.
At the Department of Chemistry of the TU Muenchen, a team of biochemists headed by Professor Horst Kessler, in collaboration with the group of Professor Johannes Bucher, Chair of the Department of Biotechnology, has now succeeded in working out the details of how p53 binds to Hsp90. Horst Kessler was Chair of the Department of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry at the TU Muenchen from 1989 to 2008 and has been Carl von Linde Professor at the Institute for Advanced Study at the TU Muenchen (TUM-IAS) since October 2008. WPA HEALTH INSURANCE

Using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, the scientists at the Bavarian NMR Center in Garching were able for the first time to characterize the interaction surfaces between Hsp90 and p53 and show that p53 binds to Hsp90 in an already structured form. p53 is thus kept in a functional state until this interaction is terminated by its actual intended binding partner, DNA. To keep p53 in the desired state, a number of interaction surfaces at different sites of the Hsp90 protein must interact in a closely coordinated manner. AHM HEALTH INSURANCE

In nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, a sample of dissolved proteins is placed in an extremely strong, homogenous magnetic field and exposed to a complex sequence of radio frequency impulses. The atomic nuclei of the protein react to these impulses with a characteristic response frequency that depends on the environment of the respective nucleus. The scientists can measure this response. "Every single stimulated nucleus responds at its own frequency," explains Kessler. "In this way we can determine the connections between individual nuclei and thus deduce the structure of the protein." When p53 binds to Hsp90, the response frequencies at specific sites of the protein change. Based on these changes, the scientists can infer the sites at which p53 binds to Hsp90.
The new insight on the interaction surfaces between Hsp90 and p53 are of great significance in the development of new cancer medications. After all, Hsp90 stabilizes not only intact p53, but also, and above all, mutated versions of the protein. This leads to a negative effect of the chaperone. The reason: The defective p53 sustained by Hsp90 binds, in its turn, to an active p53 and inactivates it - potentially leading to a tumor. In the future, medication that acts on the discovered sites could prevent Hsp90 from attaching to and stabilizing defective p53 in cancer cells. "Many of the altered p53 variants in tumors are less stable than intact p53 and require Hsp90 all the more," explains Franz Hagn, corresponding author of the study. "When this interaction is inhibited, especially mutated p53 is disposed of. This allows the intact p53 to fulfill its function, eliminate damaged cells and prevent the cancer."
In their study, Kessler, Buchner and their team determined that p53 binds to not only, as previously assumed, to the middle domain of Hsp90, but also with a high affinity to a site in the C terminal domain of the protein. Negatively charged amino acids at both binding sites of Hsp90 are responsible for the stability of this bond. "These sites are similar to DNA, whose phosphate backbone is also negatively charged," explains Kessler. "So Hsp90 imitates p53's actual partner. The complex of both proteins is held together in this way." p53 retains its original state, all the while, allowing it to continue binding to DNA.
This research was supported by the TUM Institute for Advanced Study, the German Research Foundation DFG (SFB 594), the Excellence Cluster Center for Integrated Protein Science Munich (CIPSM), the Bavarian Elite Network, the Fund of the Chemical Industry, and the European Molecular Biology Organization.

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HEALTH MANAGEMENT. Research lays the Foundation for the development of new, targeted pain relievers

A gene for the regulation of chronic pain known as HCN2, has been identified by scientists at the University of Cambridge. HEALTH MANAGEMENT

Biotechnology and the biological of Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the EU-funded research, published today (September 09) in the journal Science, opens the possibility to drugs, the protein produced by the gene to combat chronic pain of blocking. TESCO HEALTH INSURANCE

About one person in seven in the United Kingdom suffers most as arthritis, pain, and headache chronic or long-lasting, pain of some kind, back. Chronic pain there are two main varieties. The first, inflammatory pain, occurs when a permanent damage (e.g. a burning or arthritis) increased sensitivity of pain and sensitive nerve endings, which results in the feeling of pain. HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

The second of chronic pain, neuropathic pain, in which nerves damage caused constant pain and a hypersensitivity to stimuli is more intractable. Neuropathic pain, which is often lifelong, is surprisingly common and is treated badly by current drugs. Neuropathic pain in patients with diabetes (3.7 m patients in Europe, United States and Japan) is seen as a painful consequences of shingles, and how often a consequence of cancer chemotherapy. Neuropathic pain is also a frequent part of back pain and other chronic pain conditions.
Professor Peter McNaughton, lead author of the study and Director of the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Cambridge, said: "people with neuropathic pain often have little or even no breathing space because mangelnder effective drugs." "Our research lays the groundwork for the development of new drugs for the treatment of chronic pain by blocking HCN2." WPA HEALTH INSURANCE

The HCN2-gen, which is expressed in the pain and sensitive nerve endings, is known for several years, but its role in regulating the pain was not understood. Since a similar, HCN4, a decisive role in controlling the frequency of the electrical activity in the heart plays, scientists believed that HCN2 in a similar way, the frequency of the electrical activity in the pain and could regulate sensitive nerves.
The removal of the gene HCN2 from pain and lower developed the researchers for the study. You then carried out with electrical stimuli on these nerves in cell cultures to determine how their properties by eliminating the HCN2 changed were studies. AHM HEALTH INSURANCE

After much promising results from in vitro studies in cell cultures, the researchers studied genetically modified mice, where the gene of HCN2 deleted been. By measuring the speed, that the mice withdrew from different painful stimuli, the scientists could determine that neuropathic pain the gene HCN2 delete be abolished. Interestingly she found that delete HCN2 normal acute pain (the way of the pain of a sudden breach - such as the tongue bite produced) not affected.

Professor McNaughton added: "many genes play a crucial role in the sensation of pain, yet in most cases they do all the pain, or even all sensation simply abolished,." What is exciting about the work on the HCN2-gen, remove sie-or blocked pharmacologically - eliminated neuropathic pain without affecting the normal acute pain. "This finding could very valuable clinically because normal sensation of pain to prevent property damage is."

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HEALTH MANAGEMENT. First Sanaria of the malaria vaccine trial yields positive results

Positive results from the initial phase 1 clinical trial in 80 healthy volunteers and complementary pre-clinical studies of the Sanaria ® PfSPZ vaccine are published in the online issue of science.
"This is the first indication that a highly effective malaria vaccine may be available that can be used to eliminate Plasmodium falciparum malaria in geographically defined areas and prevent malaria in travelers," says Fred Binka, MD, PhD, Dean of the school of public health, University of Ghana. HEALTH MANAGEMENT

Medical science has long been on a quest vaccine for on effective malaria. There are some 250 million malaria cases worldwide annually, with as many as 800,000 deaths, most of them children in Africa.
An effective vaccine that prevents malaria infection is considered the only tool that intends to eventually conquer this disease. Such a vaccine must prevent infection in greater than 80% of recipients for 6-24 months in order to be suitable for elimination campaigns and protecting travelers. TESCO HEALTH INSURANCE

High level protection has only been achieved in humans who were immunized by the bite of mosquitoes that inoculated live, sporozoite stage Plasmodium falciparum parasites of that had been weakened by irradiation or drugs. Immune cells called cytotoxic or killer CD8 + T cells that are activated by the sporozoites are responsible for the protection against malaria after immunization with irradiated sporozoites.
It is not feasible to immunize large numbers of humans by bite of mosquitoes carrying sporozoites, and it was considered impossible to manufacture a sporozoite vaccine that met regulatory standards.
"Therefore, despite the high level protection induced by sporozoites administered by mosquito bite, before the breakthroughs reported in the Science paper, no human had ever been immunized with a sporozoite vaccine administered by needle and syringe," says Stephen L. Hoffman, MD, Sanaria's Chief Executive and scientific officer. HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Sanaria has developed a unique manufacturing process that meets FDA standards to produce the Sanaria ® PfSPZ vaccine. The vaccine is composed of attenuated (weakened) malaria sporozoites that are the stage transmitted to humans by mosquitoes. WPA HEALTH INSURANCE
The vaccine which tested by a team of biomedical scientists from the U.S. military malaria vaccine program (Naval Medical Research Center and Walter Reed Army Institute of research); University of Maryland Center for vaccine development; Vaccine research center, National Institute of Allergy and infectious diseases, national institutes of health; Sanaria Inc.; PATH malaria vaccine initiative; and protein potential, LLC. The principal findings and conclusions reported in science are:
-Sanaria ® PfSPZ vaccine what safe and well tolerated in this phase 1 clinical trial in humans.
-Sanaria ® PfSPZ vaccine administered in the skin by needle and syringe to humans was found immunogenic and protective, but not nearly to the levels after mosquito bite immunization.
-Sanaria ® PfSPZ vaccine administered by intravenous injection to animals, triggered unprecedented high levels of malaria parasite-specific CD8 + T cells in the liver, the hallmark of protective immunity.
-Sanaria ® PfSPZ vaccine is highly potent.

Based on these results, the PfSPZ vaccine administered by intravenous injection will soon be assessed in a clinical trial at the vaccine research center, NIAID, NIH in the United States. A trial in Tanzania is also being planned. AHM HEALTH INSURANCE
Professor Marcel Tanner, Director Swiss tropical and public health Institute, comments, "Sanaria has ushered in a whole new era of malaria vaccine development and testing." "We are heartened that a path toward a vaccine that can be used to entirely prevent infection with Plasmodium falciparum malaria has been established and will be rigorously pursued."

Internationally renowned malariologist and vaccinologist Professor Michael good of Griffith University, Australia says, "the results presented in science represent an enormous step toward the development of the highly effective malaria preventative vaccine generally recognized as essential for the elimination and eventually the eradication of the scourge malaria."

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Einstein, medical records to use electronics to the HIV/AIDS in Central Africa analysis

In 2004, the world community in Ernst played to HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa. As a result, millions of Africans now get the same advanced antiretroviral therapy (ART), available in the developed world long already. Research shows that AIDS death rates in Africa have stabilised, know little about the actual mobilization and circumstances of the treatment.AHM HEALTH INSURANCE

A consortium led by Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University received a grant of $4 million from the National Institute of Allergy and infectious diseases, part of the national institutes of health, spearhead of Central Africa International AIDS (CA IeDEA) assess epidemiological databases. CA-IeDEA researchers work directly with the Governments of Burundi and Cameroon, as well as with non-governmental organizations in Rwanda, to collect and analyze the data from almost 40,000 patients on art.
The international epidemiological databases evaluate AIDS (IeDEA) is a research consortium, which in 2005 to the unique and evolving issues in the global HIV/AIDS research through regional and intra-regional observational data. Kathryn Anastos, m.d., Co-Director of Einstein's global health center and United States investigators of the grant and her team the team analyse and publish it to the data produced. One of only seven IeDEA centers all over the world, CA-IeDEA will create a robust and flexible database, researchers can investigate the real practice and results of art, including their impact on the reduction of cancer and HIV interactions with other big deadly diseases, which is ravaging the region, such as such as malaria.
"Central Africa is a unique region, which provides its own set of challenges for the effective treatment of HIV/AIDS and positive patient outcomes", said Dr. Anastos. "By working with health heads of State and Government in Burundi and Cameroon, hope our teams, understanding about HIV/AIDS treatment, at the same time also for the improvement of care and the quality of life of its inhabitants."
Donald Hoover, PhD., Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, United States investigators which is financial assistance and monitoring of the activities relating to data development and analysis. Duggan of Dominic, PhD., that of technology, Stevens Institute designs the IT component. WPA HEALTH INSURANCE

HEALTH MANAGEMENT. The team will provide clinics in Central Africa and OpenMRS, an open-source electronic medical record system, which is a vibrant open source community to expand. Researchers, that the implementation of the system is to provide an effective means, gather consistent data and consists of participating clinics in each country a relatively low-cost healthcare IT solution which can elect the Governments, to as to expand a national initiative. HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Dr. Anastos are for the General management and leadership of CA-IeDEA, including the development of the research team in each country, capacity building and stimulating epidemiologic brainstorming. As a Professor of medicine and epidemiology & population health at Einstein will continue to monitor them and lead a number of HIV/AIDS research projects in Rwanda and the Bronx. TESCO HEALTH INSURANCE

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