A researcher removes a colony of stem cells from a incubator
WASHINGTON — A US appeals court ruled Tuesday that federal funding of stem cell research can continue, dissolving a lower court's ban while the government and activists fight over whether the funding is legal.
"It is ordered that... the motion for stay pending appeal of the preliminary injunction... be granted," the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia circuit said, without further detail.
The order overturns an August 23 ban on federal funding for the research, after US District Court Judge Royce Lamberth ruled it should be put on hold while a coalition of groups challenged its legality.
A temporary injunction overturning Lamberth's decision was issued September 9 by the same court. Tuesday's order permanently lifts the ban Lamberth put in place.
Looks like the US will lead in stem cell research after all, I was beginning to wonder if this country was going to step aside in the race to understand the real potential of stem cells, embryonic or otherwise. This is science that must be explored, even though it might be very difficult for some people, very much like EMR.
J. Conrad Williams Jr. / MCT
As if kids with food allergies didn't have enough to deal with at school, now they may have to worry about being bullied. A study finds that some children who have food allergies could be the target of bullies -- and some of those bullies could be the teachers.
A new report in the journal Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology finds that about one-quarter of children surveyed said they were bullied because of their food allergies. Researchers gave surveys to 353 children and teens with food allergies; the vast majority were completed by parents.
The survey revealed that about 24% of the participants had been bullied, teased or harassed because of their allergies. About 86% of this group said they had been harassed more than once and that it occurred most often at school. (Most children reported having multiple food allergies, but peanut allergies were most common.)
When asked why they were bullied, about 79% said it was because of the food allergy and the rest thought they were bothered because of a number of related issues, including having to carry medication, being set apart at mealtimes and getting special treatment.
Among those who had been bullied, about 44% said that the food they were allergic to had been waved in their face. However, none of the participants reported having an allergic reaction as a result of being bullied.
Most of the bullies were classmates, but about 18 participants said a teacher or other school staff member had done the teasing.
How could a teacher be so stupid as to tease a student about anything, particularly a food allergy about which nothing can be done. I don’t even want to think of how bad those teachers must be at their jobs.
A researcher works on an AIDS vaccine
GENEVA — UN agencies warned on Friday that the world will fail to meet an end-2010 deadline for "universal" access to HIV/AIDS care and treatment, while new crisis-driven funding cuts could unravel any gains.
The World Health Organisation, UNAIDS, and the UN Children's Fund UNICEF said in a joint report that the target of universal access -- defined as access for 80 percent of the HIV positive population -- to prevention, treatment and care was within "clear reach" for "a good number of countries."
"Nevertheless, this report also demonstrates that, on a global scale, targets for universal access to HIV prevention, treatment and care will not be met by 2010," the report said.
Despite accelerating progress, the report covering 183 nations underlined that only one-third of those in need worldwide have access to life-saving anti-retroviral drugs to counter the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes AIDS.
It must be a horrible feeling to have AIDS and know you are not getting the available treatments needed for life. We still need that vaccine, oh world of medicine, so come and get your Nobel Prize.
Johnson & Johnson and other two mouthwash manufacturers have been given a warning by the Food and Drug Administration for exaggerating the benefits provided by their products, as part of their marketing strategy.
The Companies, including J&J, CVS Corp. and Walgreen Co., in their marketing attempts, claim that their products keep gums healthy, but actually they are only made for avoiding cavities, as per the FDA. The agency says that the mouthwash contains sodium fluoride, which cannot relieve gum problems.
FDA has barred the three Companies from marketing their products with false claims. But the agency doesn’t reveal the side-effects related to mouthwashes. The issued warning letters demanded the makers to rectify the breaches within 15 days, otherwise seizures can be made or penalties can be inflicted.
The warning is an outcome of the increasing sales of J&J, despite the recall of its over-the-counter medicines.
The FDA is keeping a vigil aye on the Companies selling products with overstated benefits. It had issued warnings to many food Companies in the recent years to correct their violations and to regulate their products. Though these letters are not legalized, on FDA’s discretion the Companies can be taken to court if they don’t follow the warnings.
Don’t you sometimes wonder what takes the FDA so long to crack down on product claims? In this case, it seems as though it has been decades of false promises.
Harmless dye will turn water pink at fountains for the seventh year. The hue is in honor of breast cancer awareness.
The waters will soon turn pink in 18 area fountains for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
The Kansas City Cancer Center will “pink” the fountains for two weeks, starting at 10 a.m. Saturday with the J.C. Nichols Memorial Fountain.
Others going pink include the Northland Fountain, Westside Fountain, Ed Eilert Fountain and Lenexa City Hall Fountain.
For a list of all the fountains, go to www.pink fountains.com.
I also heard about a newspaper that will print an edition on pink paper. Almost everyone knows someone who has died of or survived breast cancer. Still much progress to be made against this disease.
Medtronic reports promising data in a trial of occipital nerve stimulation for chronic migraines. The study, called Occipital Nerve Stimulation for the Treatment of Intractable Migraine (ONSTIM), which seems to have used the Synergy neurostimulation device, showed that 39% of the patients obtained at least a 50 percent decrease in headache days per month or at least a three-point decrease in overall pain intensity from baseline.
“Migraine affects more than 28 million people and for up to 14 percent of those people, their migraines become chronic and can severely affect quality of life,” said Dr. Joel R. Saper, M.D., founder and director of the Michigan Head Pain and Neurological Institute, and principal investigator for the ONSTIM study. “The patients in this study had been unsuccessful in controlling their debilitating, frequent migraines. The positive impact ONS had on the migraines in these severely impaired study participants is promising and supports the need for ongoing study of this therapy.”
Although this study only enrolled 66 patients, this data points the way to a larger clinical trial to demonstrate safety and to marketability for this stimulator.
Press release: Newly Published Data Show Occipital Nerve Stimulation May Be a Promising New Therapy for Chronic Migraine
Abstract in Cephalalgia: Occipital nerve stimulation for the treatment of intractable chronic migraine headache: ONSTIM feasibility study
Flashback: Battling Migraines From the Inside and Out
Migraines are one of the most painful conditions, I have heard this from people who get them, so I hope this device will eventually be available to help those with the problem.
Posted
Sep 29 2010, 06:32 AM
by
Robert Gleeman