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Archive for February, 2008

NEW-YORKSKOE Time Studies Ensuring the Vaccine HPV Boy In Effort to Reduce Cervical Cancerous Factors

Wednesday, February 27th, 2008

NEW-YORKSKOE Time in Sunday studied the possibility to provide human papillomavirus vaccines boy in an effort to reduce the cervical cancerous factors. According to Time, Merck will subject to given FED.UPR.LEK.PREPARATOV And PROD.PITANIYA this year, looking for approval for its vaccine HPV Gardasil to be control the boy. Gardasil is Already approved for boy in Australia, Mexico and European Alliance Cholesterol Online (Hoffman, Time New York, 2/24).

Gardasil In clinical test is shown to be 100% efficient in prevention of the infections with types HPV 16 and 18, what together reason beside 70% cervical cancerous events, and about 99% efficient in prevention of the types HPV 6 and 11, what reason beside 90% events of the warts sexual. THE VACCINE GlaxoSmithKline’s HPV Cervarix is also shown to be 100% efficient in prevention of the infections with types HPV 16 and 18 (the Policy of Health of the Daily Message of the Women(woman), 1/16). Cervarix, What has not shown protection against warts sexual, currently considered FED.UPR.LEK.PREPARATOV And PROD.PITANIYA and concerns with on boy in Finland to define independently grafting boy could help to destroy the cervical cancer.

According to Time, Gardasil may need to be a marketed boy and their parent as way to prevent the warts a sexual and as altruistic way to prevent the cervical cancer preventing transfer of the virus girl. Besides, vaccines to can to find provide other advantage for male since HPV also causes anal, penile, and the main and cancer to necks, Time communicates.

Richard Haupt, managing director Merck’s clinical research, said that Gardasil has “much become clear profit” for boy and mans in prevention of the warts sexual even though boys or their parents do not feel ” altruistic reason to get the vaccine.” Order Viagra Online Syuzan Rosenthal, specialist in juvenile psychology in University Texas-Galveston and consultant Merck, has said that though warts sexual - not “life-threat,” they - “very tense.” She has added that warts sexual “sychologically,” - “not insignificant infection.”

Some messages have found that parents USA support the idea to do the vaccines HPV suitable both for boy and girl. However, studies have not defined that independently parents must consider the vaccine for its own. According to Time, some parents “automatically dismiss” grafting their сыновью with Gardasil partly because of “suspicions of” new vaccines and pharmaceutical companies. Baruch Fischhoff, Professor of the sciences of the decision in University Carnegie Mellon, said more old boys could see the advantage in, receiving vaccine since they could report the potential partner, which they vaccinated and must seem like “less risk” and “more humanitarian” (NEW-YORKSKOE Time, 2/24).

Reprinted by kind permit from. You may consider the whole Policy of Health of the Daily Message of the Women(woman), search for the archives or sign on for email supply here. The Policy of Health of the Daily Message of the Women(woman) is a free service National Partnership for Womans & Family, published Consulting Company of the Charge.

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Begin Comprehensive Sex Education Program

Wednesday, February 20th, 2008

The School District of Palm Beach County in Florida plans to begin a new sex education curriculum in April that will teach sixth-grade students about contraception and teach seventh-grade students how to use condoms, the Palm Beach Post reports.

The new curriculum is a response to concerns from Palm Beach County Health Department officials that existing sex education classes for elementary and middle school students did not provide enough information on preventing pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections. The old curriculum taught sixth graders about STIs and how to resist pressure to have sex but had few details about STIs and did not mention condoms, Viagra pills the Post reports. Jean Malecki, the health department’s director, began criticizing the old curriculum about one year ago.

Sex education for middle school students in the district will change the most under the new curriculum, according to the Post. Comprehensive sex education will be added to elementary grades, but the lessons will focus on self-esteem, respect and character.

The classes will be taught mainly by science teachers in the district’s middle and high schools. Superintendent Art Johnson has said science teachers might not be well-suited or have the expertise to teach sex education. The district is requiring that teachers attend five training sessions before teaching the lessons. The district also has developed a PowerPoint presentation to be used during the lessons to ensure the material is consistent and to serve as a syllabus for parents.

According to the Post, there has not been significant opposition to the new curriculum. Judy Klinek, who oversees health education for the district, said students need to receive sex education before they are teenagers. Marsha Fishbane, director of school health for the health department, said that the district’s old sex education curriculum was “just beginning to scratch the surface” of pregnancy and STI prevention.

State Sen. Ted Deutch (D) is sponsoring a measure (SB 848) that would require public schools in the state that receive state funding for sex education buy Viagra online to provide a comprehensive curriculum. Deutch has cited studies that found many parents and teachers did not believe sex education programs in the state were effective at helping teenagers prevent pregnancy and STIs.

Florida has the sixth-highest teen pregnancy rate nationwide, the Post reports. A 2005 Florida Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that about 50% of high school students in the state have had sex, including some before age 13 (DeNardo, Palm Beach Post, 2/14).

Reprinted with kind permission from Buy Viagra. You can view the entire Daily Women’s Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women’s Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.

Sexual Health: Do We Europeans Care?

Saturday, February 16th, 2008

Did you know that common health problems can be associated with your sex life? Diabetes, depression and hypertension are just some of these. All recent data prove that a healthy sex life can indicate general well-being. And do we want to find out more? Do we consider it as one of our problems? The European Sexual Dysfunction Alliance (ESDA) wants to remind everyone of the importance of sexual health as a part of overall health and show what as an alliance we have just found out!
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What Is ESDA?

ESDA is an umbrella organisation for patient support help-lines across Europe. These organizations exist to provide sufferers and their partners with information and support on issues of sexual health through telephone help-lines, by email and post. They have national websites and fact sheets on different sexual problems in different languages and these can be sent to callers who request them free of charge.

ESDA has been holding an awareness campaign around St Valentine’s Day since 2003 with the aim of drawing attention to the sexual health problems of many men and women in Europe. The event is supported by The European Society for Sexual Medicine (ESSM) and concludes on or around the 14th February in all participating countries simultaneously.

This year all countries participating at this alliance through their national centres, we want to stress the importance of consulting sexual problems with the health care provider as in many cases these difficulties can be the first sign of a serious underlying health condition which has gone undetected and undiagnosed.

Presenting Our European Data

Recent data from just some of the ESDA help lines shows just how common these problems really are. ESDA help lines in France, Greece, UK, Spain and Sweden received a total of 11.000 calls during last year. The largest number of calls was received in countries with the higher numbers of population of course. In France only, over 4500 people were seeking help as well as in UK with over 3000 phone calls.

Men or Women?

Men can hide. Perhaps that is the reason that throughout the continent, men were asking help from the national help-lines, no matter if they are living in Mediterranean or in the north of Europe. In France male callers represented 92, 6, in Sweden 71%, in Spain 93%, in Greece 88.5% and in the UK 75% of all calls were from men.

Has asking about sexual health to do with age?

The ages of the callers ranged from 16 to 87 years with an average age of 48 in the UK, 50 in France, 43 in Greece and 46 in Spain. The majority of callers were in stable relationships: 45% in Greece, 82% in France and 87% in Spain.

But what Europeans are doing for their sexual health?

Unfortunately, very few! Most interestingly the majority of callers to all national centers, both male and female had never consulted a health professional about their sexual problem: 75% of male callers in Sweden, 70% in Greece, 64% in France and 55% in Spain. In the case of women, still not a lot were trying to find a specialist to consult regarding sexual issues: 55% in Sweden, 60 in Greece, 64% in Spain, and 71% in France had never consulted their problem. This is particularly surprising when you look at the amount of time they had had the problem. In France men had suffered a sexual dysfunction for 3 years on average before calling the helpline and women just over 3 years, whereas in Greece and Spain men had waited over 4 years and women in Spain almost 5 years before calling for help.

What do Europeans report regarding their sexual life to a help-line?

Regarding the type of sexual problem consulted ESDA data shows that in all countries men called primarily for erectile dysfunction (ED), 75% in France, 72% in Greece, 65% in Spain, 55% in Sweden and 58% in the UK. But in the era of the drugs trying to help people with ED, still there is the problem with premature ejaculation: the second most consulted problem by men calling the help lines, with 19% in Greece, 25% UK, 12% in Spain and 10% in Sweden. What about women? Of all calls received in Greece, 11.5% were from women. In their case the most common problem was decreased sexual interest and desire: 30% in Sweden, 45% in Greece, 37% in France and 50% in the UK. And as expected their second most common reported dysfunction was orgasmic dysfunction, 36% in Greece, about 11% in Sweden and France and 8% in Spain.

Sexual health: related to the overall health of men?

Some of the most interesting data emerges when one looks at concomitant diseases: In Greece approximately 20% of men had cardiovascular disease, followed by 11% diabetes and 3% prostate. In Spain nearly 31% of men had cardiovascular disease followed by 16% prostate problems and 15% diabetes mellitus. In the UK however 12% of male callers claimed they suffered from depression/anxiety and 10% had diabetes. Data from Sweden show that 6% of the men who called the helpline had cardiovascular disease, 6% had a concomitant psychiatric disease and 4% diabetes. In France 20% had cardiovascular problems, 12% had diabetes and as for prostate problems, 7.4%.

What about the underlying conditions reported by women calling the help-lines?
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There were some important differences seen in different European countries. When presenting national data it was found that in Spain and Greece psychiatric/psychological problems were reported by 14% and 11% of women callers respectively. In Sweden the most common associated problems were gastrointestinal 8%, 6% osteoporosis and 4% cardiovascular disease. The most common medical problem reported by women in France was cardiovascular (17%) followed by psychiatric/psychological problems (25%), 13% lifestyle and 10% diabetes.

ESDA provides sufferers, their partners and the general public with information about their problem and guides them on their way to finding a solution. We also offer support and reassurance. Men and women can call the helpline anonymously in their country and a telephone advisor will discuss the problem with them in a natural and relaxed manner and encourage them to consult their doctor. They can be sure they are not alone: prevalence studies show that, sexual health problems are very common, are often ignored leading to a negative impact on a person’s quality of life, their personal relationships and their self-esteem. Additionally it is vital for the public to know that they are often the first sign of an important undiagnosed heath problem such as diabetes, hypertension, depression and others.

A visit to the doctor to discuss the problem is crucial as the first step to getting the right assessment, tests, treatment and follow up. We would also like to stress that any medication purchased on the Internet without a proper guarantee and taken without medical supervision can be dangerous and should be avoided in the interests of safety.

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Study Of Boyhood Genetic Disease Aided By Zebrafish

Thursday, February 14th, 2008

Sexual Men’s health Scientists have been awarded 72,000 pounds to study zebrafish in a bid to understand the causes of an incurable genetic disorder in humans.

The University of Manchester team will use the model organism to investigate Lowe syndrome, an inherited complaint affecting only boys.

“Lowe syndrome is a rare disorder that produces cataracts of the eyes, defects in brain development and kidney problems in young male sufferers,” said Dr Martin Lowe, who will head the research.

“Life expectancy is short due to complications associated with the disease, which can cause blindness, arthritis, rickets, mental impairment, development delay, tooth and bone decay and kidney failure.”

The research - funded by the Lowe Syndrome Trust - will focus on one particular gene, OCRL1, which scientists have identified as being a key factor in the cause of the condition.

“Lowe syndrome arises from a mutation in OCRL1, which is a gene found on the male X-chromosome involved in degrading fat-soluble molecules in the body called lipids,” said Dr Lowe, who is based in the Faculty of Life Sciences.

“Although significant progress has been made to increase our understanding of OCRL1, we still do not know what processes it regulates. Furthermore, we have not been able to deduce how loss of OCRL1 brings about the physical changes associated with Lowe syndrome.”

One of the difficulties earlier studies have faced is finding a suitable model system to explore the mechanisms underlying the disease. But in a pilot study, Dr Lowe and his team found that OCRL1 works in a similar manner in zebrafish as it does in humans.

He said: “Zebrafish offer a number of advantages over other model systems and we plan to extend our earlier analysis to further scrutinise the role of OCRL1 in development, focusing initially on the brain but also examining the other tissues affected in Lowe syndrome.

“In the long term it is hoped that zebrafish will serve as a model system for experimenting with chemicals that suppress the symptoms of Lowe syndrome in the hope of one day finding a cure.”

The research is being funded by the Lowe Syndrome Trust, which was set up in June 2000 by Lorraine Thomas after her son, Oscar, now aged 14, was diagnosed with the condition in 1999.

No government support or UK research of the syndrome was available at that time and, for the last seven years, Lorraine has devoted her life to raising money for the charity.

Lorraine said: “The Lowe Syndrome Trust is delighted to award a grant to The University of Manchester to further research into this rare disease. Sadly, due to lack of awareness and funding, many children suffering from this disorder only live until their teenage years.

“The objective of the Trust is to fund medical research that will eventually lead to the development of drugs to better regulate the metabolic imbalance of the disease and eventually find a cure.”

Since starting the charity Lorraine has persuaded many celebrities to back her cause, including television presenter Jonathan Ross.

Jonathan said: “As a trustee I am delighted that we are able to fund the Manchester project. We hope that this research will entice more interest into the disease from research scientists worldwide.”
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Wellpoint Health Services Study Reveals Surprising Results For Cardiac Risks

Monday, February 11th, 2008

Wellpoint Health Services today announced the results of the 2007 Carotid Intima Media Thickness (IMT) review. The review identified that 50 percent of women and 31 percent of men that previously had NO identifiable Farmingham risk factors other than their age to be high risk for future cardiovascular disease based on the results of their Carotid IMT.

The Carotid IMT is a new diagnostic screening test that allows the risk of cardiovascular disease to be more accurately predicted. It is a non-invasive ultrasound of the Carotid artery in the neck that measures the thickness of the artery wall. The thickness of these two layers of the artery can indicate plaque in the Carotid artery. Of note, is that the study identified high risk individuals who would traditionally be classified as lower risk.

Dr. Sanjeev Sharma, CEO of Wellpoint Health Services says, “This unique screening test helps identify people who might otherwise think that they are at low risk of cardiovascular disease (Heart Attack and Stroke). As with most diseases it is important to recognize it early, so that measures can be taken to mitigate the risks. We hope that the awareness of these results will motivate individuals to take their heart health very seriously.”

February is Heart Health month. The best way to treat cardiac disease is prevention and early detection.

About Wellpoint Health Services

Wellpoint has established a new standard in executive medicine in Canada. By pairing the latest in diagnostic technology with an integrated team of physicians, nutritionists, nurses, executive coaches and other health professionals that help clients detect illness early, reduce their risk of preventable illness, and boost their overall health and wellness. Wellpoint provides both corporations and families with the ability to understand their personal health profile, through the Wellpoint Health Blueprint. This personalized health report serves as the tactical road map to boosting overall wellness and reducing the incidence of future illness. Wellpoint also provide clients with healthcare advocacy and guidance, support and options, including access to leading healthcare centers in the US. Wellpoint empowers their clients to take control of their well being through a proactive and preventative approach to health.

Engineering Approach Applied To The Study Of Biological Pathways

Saturday, February 9th, 2008

An MIT team has used an engineering approach to show that complex biological systems can be studied with simple models developed by measuring what goes into and out of the system.

Such an approach can give researchers an alternative way to look at the inner workings of a complicated biological system-such as a pathway in a cell-and allow them to study systems in their natural state.

The MIT researchers focused on a pathway in yeast that controls cells’ response to a specific change in the environment. The resulting model is “the simplest model you can ever reduce these systems to,” said Alexander van Oudenaarden, W.M. Keck Career Development Professor in Biomedical Engineering and Associate Professor of Physics and senior author of a paper describing the work in Science.

Quantitative modeling of a biological pathway normally involves intense computer simulations to crunch all available data on the dozens of relevant reactions in the pathway, producing a detailed interaction map.

“These simulations are difficult to perform and interpret because many model parameters are not or cannot be experimentally measured. Moreover, because there are so many interconnected components in the network, it is difficult to make reliable predictions,” said van Oudenaarden.

Alternatively, a complex system can be treated as a “black box,” where you don’t know what’s happening inside but can figure it out by analyzing the system’s response to periodic inputs. This approach is widely used in the engineering disciplines but has rarely been applied to analyze biological pathways. The technique is very general and could be used to study any cellular pathway with measurable inputs and outputs, van Oudenaarden said.

“You don’t want to open the box, but you want to shake it a little,” he said. “Comparing the response when you shake it fast to when you shake it slowly reveals important information about which chemical reactions in the pathway dominate the response.”

In the new study, the “black box” is a pathway involving at least 50 reactions. The pathway is activated when yeast cells are exposed to a change in the osmotic pressure of their environment, for example, when salt is added to their growth media.

The researchers controlled the inputs (bursts of salt) and measured output (activity of Hog1 kinase, an enzyme with a pivotal role in the yeast salt-stress response).

They exposed the cells to salt bursts of varying frequency, then compared those inputs with the resulting Hog1 activity.

Using that data and standard methods from systems engineering, they came up with two differential equations that describe the three major feedback loops in the pathway: one that takes action almost immediately and is independent of the kinase Hog1, and two feedbacks (one fast and one slow) that are controlled by Hog1.

The fast feedbacks prevent the yeast cell from shriveling up as water rushes out of the cell into the saltier environment. That is accomplished by increasing the cellular concentration of glycerol, a byproduct of many cell reactions. The presence of glycerol inside the cell balances the extra salt outside the cell so water is no longer under osmotic pressure to leave the cell.

In the short term, glycerol concentration is immediately increased by blocking the steady stream of glycerol that normally exits the cell. In the long-term feedback loop, Hog1 goes to the nucleus and activates a pathway that induces transcription of genes that produce enzymes that synthesize more glycerol. This process takes at least 15 minutes.

During the salt shocks, the short-term response kicks in right away, but the cells also initiate the longer-term responses.

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Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release.
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Other authors of the paper are Jerome Mettetal, a recent MIT PhD recipient; Dale Muzzey, a graduate student in biophysics at Harvard; and Carlos Gomez-Uribe, a graduate student in the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology.

The research was funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.

Written by Anne Trafton, MIT News Office

Source: Elizabeth Thomson
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Randomized Clinical Trial Of A Family

Wednesday, February 6th, 2008

blog.pharmacydiscountmeds.com - A prospective randomized trial by Dr. Northouse and associates published in the December issue of Cancer suggests that prostate cancer (CaP) patients and their spouses benefit from family intervention counseling. Interestingly, spouses benefited more.

Both CaP and treatment related side effects can have a negative effect on patients and their spouses. The objective of the study was to assess whether a family-based intervention could improve appraisal variables (appraisal of illness or caregiving, uncertainty, hopelessness), coping resources (coping strategies, self-efficacy, communication), symptom distress (general and prostate-specific), and QoL in patients and their spouses during 3 phases of CaP; newly diagnosed, biochemical recurrence and advanced. The phases of CaP and risk for distress were evaluated as to whether they created a differential effect of the intervention on patient or spouse outcomes. The patient and spousal assessments were performed at 4, 8, and 12 months after enrollment. Masters-prepared nurses delivered the intervention and data collection nurses were blinded to the group assignment (intervention or control). The intervention arm encouraged families to work as a team, communicate openly about the illness, and provide one another with support. The control arm was standard of care.

Established instruments measured all study variables. This included detailed questionnaires for QoL, appraisals of illness/caregiving, coping strategies, general symptom distress, and the risk of developing future emotional distress. A total of 263 couples were enrolled and completed baseline evaluations. At 4 and 12 months 235 (90%) and 218 (83%) dyads completed the follow-up assessments, respectively. There were no differences between the intervention and control arms regarding follow-up participation. Average patient age was 63 years and average spouse age was 59 years. The vast majority (84%) were Caucasian. The enrollment consisted of 65% in the newly diagnosed category (60% had surgery and 40% radiotherapy), 14% with biochemical recurrence, and 21% with advanced disease. It was noted that 25% of spouses had health problems.

There were no differences between the arms regarding QoL variables. The intervention and control groups did not differ on appraisal variables but patients in the intervention group did report less uncertainty about their illness than controls at 4 months. Intervention patients reported more communication about the illness with their spouses than control men at 4 months. There were no differences between groups on general or prostate-specific symptom distress.

Intervention spouses reported better physical QoL than control spouses at 8 and 12 months. They also had better mental QoL scores. Intervention spouses had less negative appraisal of caregiving, less uncertainty about the illness, less hopelessness, higher self-efficacy about ways to manage the illness, and less general symptom distress. The phase of illness and risk for distress did not seem to moderate the effectiveness of the intervention.

Doctors Have No Confidence

Monday, February 4th, 2008

Nine out of ten doctors have no confidence in the government’s ability to safeguard patient data online, a poll conducted by BMA News has revealed.

More than 90 per cent of respondents (93 per cent) to the survey said they were not confident patient data on the proposed NHS centralised database would be secure.

A series of recent high-profile data losses, such as the HM Revenue and Customs computer discs containing the details of 25 million child benefit claimants and security breaches during last year’s online training recruitment fiasco for junior doctors, have left doctors sceptical about safety.

Nine out of ten of the 219 doctors who responded to the Doctors Decide poll said they did not feel they were in a position to assure patients that their data would be safe.

More than eight out of ten (81 per cent) said they would not want their surgery data stored on the national NHS ’spine’.

Wiltshire trainee cardiologist Dr Sally Simmons was one of those caught up in the medical training application service security breaches last year. Her personal details became publicly available and could potentially have been used by identity thieves.

She said: ‘I have received no apology from the Department of Health despite writing to the former health secretary [Patricia Hewitt]. I was also affected by the loss of the two child benefit CDs with my bank details on them. Not surprisingly, I have no faith in any form of IT security that this government proposes.’

However, Berkshire GP and consultant in family planning Dr Meg Thomas said: ‘This will help with continuity of care and communication between primary and secondary care … There may be a risk but paper records are also going astray. We need to join the 21st century and quick.’

Full text of BMA News Doctors Decide story follows in full:

Do you have confidence in the government’s ability to safeguard patient information on a national NHS database?
6% said Yes
93% said No

Here are some of your thoughts

No: ‘I was one of the final-year medical students affected by the online MTAS (medical training application service) details being available to identity fraudsters. I have received no apology from the Department of Health despite writing to former health secretary Patricia Hewitt. I was also affected by the loss of the two child benefit CDs. Not surprisingly, I have no faith in any form of IT security that this government proposes.’

No: ‘With the MTAS debacle, the government has proven itself to be pretty incompetent in handling and protecting sensitive data. Forget ID cards; the national NHS database poses an even greater risk of our personal data being released into the public domain and being misused.’

No: ‘MTAS. Need we say more?’

Yes: ‘Many institutions, including banks, have done it. So why should the NHS lag behind? Protecting data would always be challenging, but it should not prevent patients and doctors from reaping the benefits of an easily accessible database.’

No: ‘With the government’s recent underhand dealing with regard to general medical services contracts and the contracts of staff and associate specialist doctors, we might wonder whether it would have other uses for the information that might not be in patients’ best interests. Previous government guarantees of security have not been worth the paper they were written on.’

Do you feel you are in a position to assure patients that their data will be safe?
4% said Yes
90% said No

Here are some of your thoughts

No: ‘A better and cheaper solution would be for patients to carry and be responsible for their own medical information, using a portable database in card or stick format. Only patients with multiple pathologies or complex medical needs would need to be supplied with this information. It could be easily transported as a necklace pendant or bracelet similar to the medic-alert style of personal jewellery.’

No: ‘A central database with details of past medical history, current medications and allergies would be very helpful when managing patients from out of town in emergency departments. But the recent debacles in data management make it very difficult to convince patients to give consent for uploading their medical histories onto a central system with which the security of data could not be guaranteed 100 per cent.’

Yes: ‘This will help with continuity of care and communication between primary and secondary care … There may be a risk, but paper records are also going astray. We need to join the 21st century and fast.’

No: ‘The BMA should immediately take out full-page advertisements in the national press informing patients that their health records are about to be placed on an unsafe system. The adverts should provide a cut-out form that patients can give to their GPs to opt out of this dangerous and inadequately secured system.’

Would you want your own data stored in this way?
9% said Yes
81% said No

Here are some of your thoughts

No: ‘I have already asked my own GP practice to code my records in a way that will hopefully prevent an upload on to the central database. ‘I hope that the BMA will now provide leadership on this issue to prevent the government putting the confidentiality of patient medical records at such risk. It should call for the care record service to be abandoned.’

Yes: ‘I think it is important to put this in the context of the information that we share every day through online shopping, joining websites and social networking websites such as Facebook. It is interesting to reflect on the amount of information that is in the public domain already, such as the information used by supermarkets about your shopping habits. ‘The essence of Connecting for Health is improving the patient experience and reducing workload for doctors by reducing repetition … Concerns are valid, but because of those concerns and the clinicians involved this is likely to be the most secure database. Let us start discussing its benefits and stop bashing its potential flaws.’

No: ‘I live in Bolton [where electronic records are being piloted] and have opted out. Even if the data were safe and the system worked, it would never provide value for money.’

No: ‘I have already emailed chief medical officer for England Professor Sir Liam Donaldson to say that I am exercising my choice as a patient and do not want my details on any national database. I got the usual bland non-committal reply.

‘I do not mind my GP knowing about my medical history, and if I moved around the country while on holiday, for example, I would be happy to answer questions posed by any GP or hospital doctor if I was taken ill.’

Yes: ‘With patients being treated in multiple sites by numerous professionals, there is no way we can go on as we are - struggling to collect all relevant data and constantly repeating data collection and rewriting data. We must have IT and share data, even if there are risks.’
Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/96079.php

Herpes Labialis And 2008 Year

Sunday, February 3rd, 2008

NanoBio Corporation is presenting safety and efficacy results on new topical treatments for herpes labialis (cold sores) and onychomycosis (toe nail fungus) at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), being held February 1-5, 2008, in San Antonio.

The data being presented indicate that the company’s topical lotions, composed of nanometer-sized droplets, have potent antiviral and antifungal effects without safety concerns or systemic absorption. Interim findings in subjects with cold sores demonstrate faster healing without skin irritation or safety concerns. Initial results in subjects with toe nail fungus indicate an excellent safety profile with no systemic absorption coupled with an ability to kill the fungi that cause onychomycosis, a common condition affecting up to 36 million people.

“We are very encouraged by our preliminary results,” said James R. Baker Jr., M.D., founder and chairman of NanoBio Corporation. “Our human and animal studies show that NanoBio’s products are well tolerated and without safety issues, adverse events or skin irritation concerns. Pharmacokinetic studies show no systemic absorption, a factor that enhances the safety profile.”

Final results from a prior phase 2A study in herpes labialis, as well as interim findings from an ongoing phase 2B study, indicate a significant improvement in time to healing for subjects treated with NanoBio’s antiviral product, NB-001.

Results from a phase 1 study in onychomycosis, as well as preclinical data being presented at the meeting, indicate that NanoBio’s antifungal product, NB-002, can be safely applied to the skin at doses more than 1,000 times higher than the minimum concentration required to kill fungi.

“NB-002 exerts its effect locally by penetrating the skin and diffusing laterally underneath the nail plate to reach the dermatophytes and kill both active hyphae and spores — without irritating the epithelium or being systemically absorbed,” Baker said. “The absence of systemic involvement could provide a significant advance for onychomycosis therapy in terms of safety.” Current oral (systemic) drugs for onychomycosis pose risks of hepatic and cardiac toxicity, as well as the potential for drug interactions, Baker added.

In addition to its safety and tolerability, NB-002 activity was documented against numerous fungi involved in cutaneous infections, including Candida albicans, Microsporum canis, Epidermophyton floccosum, Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Trichophyton rubrum.

NanoBio is currently conducting a double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2 study to further investigate the efficacy and safety of NB-002 in 443 subjects with onychomycosis. All subjects have been enrolled, and the study is expected to be completed in February 2009.

The company’s topical treatments are based on a novel anti-infective platform comprising an oil-in-water emulsion and a surfactant. The nanodroplets readily penetrate hair follicles and skin pores to reach the site of infection without disrupting skin or mucous membranes. Upon contact with the pathogen, the nanodroplets directly interact with the pathogen’s outer membranes to lyse the virus, fungus or bacteria.

Poster Titles — Link to posters at http://www.nanobio.com

– Safety, Tolerance, Pharmacokinetics, and Efficacy of Topical Nanoemulsion NB-001 for the Treatment of Herpes Labialis

– Development of a Novel Antiviral Drug (NB-001) for Topical Application in Humans

– Safety, Tolerance, and Pharmacokinetics of Topical -- Development of a Novel Antifungal Drug (NB-002) for Topical Application in Humans

Women Petition

Sunday, February 3rd, 2008

Women from three low-income communities in Manila, Philippines, on Wednesday asked an appeals court to revoke a local law that bans city clinics from providing contraceptives, Reuters UK reports. Lawyers representing the women said the law is unconstitutional (Mogato, Reuters UK, 1/30).

Family planning advocates in the Philippines in September 2007 announced plans to file a lawsuit against Environment Secretary Lito Atienza for removing all contraceptives from city clinics when he was mayor of Manila. The Reproductive Health, Rights and Ethics Centre and other groups said they had testimony on how Atienza, a devout Catholic, introduced a policy in 2000 prohibiting public clinics from issuing contraceptives or educating people about how to use or obtain them. The suit aims to “hold (Atienza) liable for acts which caused injury to women,” Elizabeth Pangalangan — executive director of the Reproductive Health, Rights and Ethics Centre — has said (Daily Women’s Health Policy Report, 10/2/07).

Sylvia Estrada Claudio, a doctor and head of a local nongovernmental organization helping the women, said it took eight years to seek a court order to revoke the local law because women were afraid to testify. “We have a new mayor who has a more open mind [on] other forms of family planning methods,” she said, adding that she is optimistic that the ban will be revoked. Gerry Cruz, a doctor and member of the Philippine Family Planning Organization, said, “We’re supporting these women’s petition not just from the legal point of view, but more on the health aspects because we saw a study showing an alarming increase in maternal deaths in Manila due to multiple pregnancies,” Cruz said.

According to Reuters, higher-income residents in the Philippines have been able to access prescription contraceptives in private clinics, but lower-income residents have largely depended on USAID, which has been the largest supplier of contraceptives in the Philippines for the last 30 years. However, USAID has begun to phase out its program and plans to end donations in 2008. Cruz said the country’s population could reach 150 million in the next 20 years if the government does not develop an effective population management program. According to Reuters UK, about 500,000 women annually are estimated to have abortions in the country despite the procedure being illegal, and many of them die because the practice is performed by untrained people (Reuters UK, 1/30).

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