News

Gleeman’s Daily News—03/18/10

2010-03-18T07:19:02Z

How does the use of the emergency room figure into health care reform?

BARACK OBAMA and allied supporters of Democratic health-care plans say that one reason the system needs change is that the uninsured find care anyway—via the emergency room—driving costs up. But is it true? A recently released study by the Robert Wood Johnson foundation found that when demographic factors (including people's reports of their own health) are controlled for, the uninsured visit the ER no more than those with private insurance. Robert Samuelson says Mr Obama has been peddling a bogus argument.

I would not hesitate to use the ER, insurance or no insurance, but I think services there often go unpaid. If one can’t afford premiums, what makes you think they pay any medical bills?

Kraft will apply the brakes to salt in their food

(KeylimeSteve)

Perhaps feeling a bit bloated, Kraft Foods Inc. announced earlier today that they're cutting down on the amount of salt used in a number of its most popular products.

Kraft says it wants to reduce its overall average sodium content by about 10% over the next two years. They figure that amount equates to around 750 million teaspoons of salt.

Among the Kraft products up for major reductions in sodium is Oscar Mayer Bologna. The company wants to cut the s-o-d-i-u-m from everyone's favorite meat-like product by 17%.

Another big target of Kraft's sodium shrink ray is its Easy Mac Cups product. They say some flavors of the instant mac-and-cheese product will see sodium reductions of 20%.

"We are reducing sodium because it's good for consumers, and, if done properly, it's good for business," said Rhonda Jordan, President, Health & Wellness, Kraft Foods. "A growing number of consumers are concerned about their sodium intake and we want to help them translate their intentions into actions."

She adds that the short-term sodium cuts will impact more than 1,000 separate Kraft products and that the company's long-term goal is an even greater reduction of its total sodium usage.

I think this is good marketing, you can always add more salt with a salt-shaker if you really have to have it. Perhaps our First Lady is having an effect with her appeal to food manufacturers, eh?

Health insurer tries to drop new AIDS patients

Insurance companies usually scrutinize policyholders who have been diagnosed with a life-threatening illnesses. From a strict cost perspective, that's just good business: the company needs to make sure its most expensive patients are making fair claims.

But sometimes, that's just a ruse to unfairly cut costs.

A new report from Reuters says that Assurant Health targeted patients recently diagnosed with HIV, sometimes denying them coverage based on technicalities or for no reason at all.

Reuters: Previously undisclosed records from Mitchell's case reveal that Fortis [now Assurant Health] had a company policy of targeting policyholders with HIV. A computer program and algorithm targeted every policyholder recently diagnosed with HIV for an automatic fraud investigation, as the company searched for any pretext to revoke their policy.

As was the case with Mitchell, their insurance policies often were canceled on erroneous information, the flimsiest of evidence, or for no good reason at all, according to the court documents and interviews with state and federal investigators.

Stories such as this one cause me to distrust insurance companies, and it makes me wonder if medicine might get better without them. What do they add to the general picture of health care? Data processing? Isn’t that what EMR/EHR is supposed to do?

From the UK: Hundreds bid for chance to win IVF, human egg included

Raffle: Hundreds of women tried to win the chance of fertility treatment - and the choice of egg donor

An IVF clinic is accused of 'cheapening life' after holding a controversial raffle with free egg donor treatment as the top prize.

More than 240 people packed a London hotel last night to try and win the chance to select their ideal egg donor before flying to the US to have the fertility treatment.

It allows the winner to sidestep tough UK fertility regulations which currently ban payments to donors and strip them of their anonymity. The strict rules have led to a shortage of eggs.

The successful woman will have the opportunity to select their ideal US donor egg based on its mother's profession, ethnic background, hair colour, qualifications and upbringing. She can even browse childhood pictures.

This one is a strange story, and I am surprised it could even happen. Are we trading in human eggs across the sea? I think Nick might have to explain this one from the English side of things. Bad laws?

Study indicates elderly colon cancer patients should more often receive chemotherapy

While physicians have a lower tendency to treat elderly colon cancer sufferers with chemotherapy, the treatment is associated with fewer serious side-effects in this population.
Previous studies had reported that a combination of surgery and chemotherapy is more effective in cancer sufferers than surgery alone; as for the elderly, however, chemotherapy is not frequently prescribed.
"One of the main reasons people shy away from giving these drugs to older patients is that they might have more adverse events and we saw no evidence ... that there was an increase in those adverse events," said lead researcher Robert Fletcher.

I did not realize that age has so much to do with medical treatment options, here we see a situation where age may be used as a chemotherapy measure, and that appears to be wrong. No ageism.

Skin cancer epidemic in the USA despite sun exposure warnings

Despite efforts to inform the public about the risk of sun exposure, the rate of non-melanoma skin cancer in the U.S. is reaching epidemic proportions, with more than 2 million people affected in 2006, researchers said.

(Getty Images)

In that year, an estimated 3.5 million cases of non-melanoma skin cancer were treated, affecting 2.1 million people according to Dr. Howard Rogers of Advanced Dermatology in Norwich, Conn., and colleagues.

The finding is based on analysis of such cases among Medicare beneficiaries, where the number of procedures for non-melanoma skin cancer increased 16 percent from 2002 through 2006, Rogers and colleagues reported in the March issue of Archives of Dermatology.

The article is one of two in the journal sounding an alarm over the rising incidence of non-melanoma skin cancer -- the most common form of the disease.

Melanoma, though less common, is considered far more dangerous because it can easily spread to other parts of the body.

As the warmer weather approaches, I hope this reminder will stick in your mind, and that you will protect your skin from too much sun. I get most of my sun walking from the car to the doctor’s office to hear about why I need to exercise out in the sun more often.

Gleeman’s Daily News—03/17/10

2010-03-17T07:42:13Z

Sensitivity to Warfarin determined by genetic test

Doctors say it can take weeks of blood tests and dose adjustments to determine the right Warfarin dose for patients

The clinical study led by two leading medical researchers -- Medco Research Institute specializing in pharmacy care, and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota -- found that hospital stays can be reduced by one-third by undertaking genetic testing to determine the sensitivity of patients to the widely-used drug warfarin.

Warfarin, the world's most widely-prescribed blood thinner and which has been in use for half a century, is used to reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke after a patient has had a heart attack.

It also is used to prevent blood clots, pulmonary embolism, and other complications following atrial fibrillation or heart valve replacement surgery. About two million people begin warfarin therapy every year in the United States.

Another brilliant application of genetic testing, this could really save lives. I didn’t realize so many patients are faced with a tricky dose determination when taking this drug, hope this is available soon.

Pelosi on health care for children

Alex Wong/Getty Images House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, left, with Liz Draper and her 6-month-old son, John, during a news conference with children’s advocates on Monday in Washington.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi held a news conference with children’s advocates at the Capitol on Monday to push for the Democrats’ sweeping health care legislation.

“For America’s families, nothing comes before the future — or the health of their children,” Ms. Pelosi said. “Our kids cannot wait another moment for us to act. American parents cannot wait another moment. Our country deserves reform to — this is — when we’re talking about health care reform, we’re talking about the health of our children; we’re talking about diet, not diabetes; we’re talking about prevention and wellness. But we’re also talking about reducing the deficit. It is our responsibility to future generations that we not heap mountains of debt onto future generations.”

I have always thought we should start with universal health care for children as their right—no matter what. Otherwise we will usher in a generation of sickly, toothless Americans who have no faith in anyone or anything.

Sebelius believes health care bill will pass

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius speaks at the American Health Insurance Plans 2010 National Policy Forum in Washington, Wednesday, March 10, 2010. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

CHICAGO -- U.S. Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Tuesday that she's confident the House will have the votes to pass President Barack Obama's health care legislation, possibly as early as Friday.

"I think we're on track for a vote sometime this weekend. I don't think (House Speaker Nancy Pelosi) has decided exactly when, but Friday or Saturday seem to be the likely timetables," Sebelius told reporters in Chicago before a speech at a conference on aging.

As the White House made a final efforts to get a health care overhaul passed this week, Sebelius looked back critically at the legislation's long path. She said supporters could have done a better job correcting misinformation on "death panels" and cuts to Medicare. She said foes of health care overhaul worked a strategy designed to scare older Americans, but supporters could have been more aggressive at telling seniors what the package included for them.

We can all understand why this legislation is so important, I hope working on health care reform is a never-ending process, just like improving EMR. And EMR Update will keep reporting no matter what.

First Lady continues fight for childhood fitness

First Lady Michelle Obama continues her campaign to improve fitness and combat obesity in children as she speaks at the Grocery Manufacturers Association Science Forum meeting in Washington, Tuesday, March 16, 2010. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

WASHINGTON -- Michelle Obama is urging the nation's largest food companies to speed up efforts to make healthier foods and reduce marketing of unhealthy foods to children.

Mrs. Obama asked the companies, gathered at a meeting of the Grocery Manufacturers Association on Tuesday, to "step it up" and put less fat, salt and sugar in foods.

"We need you not to just tweak around the edges but entirely rethink the products you are offering, the information that you provide about these products, and how you market those products to our children," she said.

The intentions are good, but there will always be unhealthy food around to eat, and I don’t trust food manufacturers to even know what is healthy for me. Teach kids how to eat in school? I used to love those school lunches.

NYC restaurants will be required to post their cleanliness grade

Cetta for News

Starting in July, eateries will be required to prominently post letter grades that are based on health inspections.

Finding a clean restaurant will be as easy as A,B,C under a Health Department rule passed Tuesday.

Starting in July, eateries will be required to prominently post letter grades that are based on health inspections, according to a policy approved by the Board of Health in 6 to 2 vote.

"New York City restaurants are among the world's best and these simple reforms will make them even better," said Health Commissioner Thomas Farley.

I hope this idea catches on all over the country. What good is a health inspection if no one ever knows the score? I think it would be great fun to see how every eatery “tests out” every year.

Using cold to freeze and destroy breast cancer cells

Breast cancer cells: These can be destroyed using super-cold gas

A method of destroying breast tumours by surrounding them with ice could offer hope of a safe non-surgical cure for the disease, research suggests.

The technique called cryotherapy is already used to treat prostate cancer.

It involves inserting several needle-like 'cryoprobes' into the tumour and passing super-cold gas through them.

The ice ball rapidly created around each site kills off the cancerous cells.

Freezing therapy has been tried before for breast cancer - but this is the first time a minimally invasive version, which requires no surgery, has been developed.

But last night cancer experts warned it may take many years for the technique to become common.

I am always interested by treatments which do not require drastic surgery, this seems like an expansion of the many uses for cryotherapy which is already used like a bladeless knife.

Gleeman’s Daily News—03/16/10

2010-03-16T07:32:44Z

Crime-fighters may someday track a suspect’s bacteria

Steve Miller, CIRES

A new technique developed at CU‑Boulder to identify individuals by the unique communities of hand bacteria they leave behind on objects they have handled may prove to be a valuable forensic tool in the future.

CSIs may one day be able to use more than DNA and fingerprints to catch criminals, as a new study finds that the bacteria that live on our hands are just as unique to each of us as our DNA. And traces of this "personal" DNA left behind on the surfaces we touch can be matched to the person who left it.

The human body—inside and out—plays host to billions of bacteria and other microbes; there are more bacteria in the human body than there are human body cells.

The science of medicine crosses over into every field, including law enforcement, as we are seeing an advanced look at forensics in this article. I didn’t know we all had such a unique zoo of germs.

Medtronic cryogenic balloon tested on atrial fibrillation patients

More than seven million people suffer from atrial fibrillation -- an irregular or rapid heart rhythm

ATLANTA, Georgia — An experimental ablation therapy system that freezes heart tissue with a balloon catheter to treat a common heart rhythm disorder is far more effective than drug therapy, a study found Monday.

Researchers compared the safety and efficacy of the Arctic Front CryoAblation Catheter System produced by US firm Medtronic to drug therapy over at least one year in 245 patients in the United States and Canada.

A year after the non-surgical procedure, nearly 70 percent of patients treated by the system no longer suffered from paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.

Seems strange that freezing heart tissue would ever help any condition, but the tests show it works. We saw another product yesterday, a clip, which replaces open heart surgery, also installed with a catheter.

Debate over health care reform: talking points and realities

Karen Ignagni, president of the industry group America's Health Insurance Plans, and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., on "Face the Nation," Sunday, March 14, 2010. (CBS)

(CBS) Last week in a speech about health care reform, President Obama said, "Every year insurance companies deny more people coverage because they've got pre-existing conditions. Every year, they drop more people's coverage when they get sick right when they need it most. Every year they raise premiums higher and higher and higher."

That statement set the tone for a debate on Sunday's "Face the Nation" between Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., and Karen Ignagni, president of America's Health Insurance Plans, a political advocacy and trade association group that represents health insurance companies.
In response to Mr. Obama's statement, Ms. Ignagni said, "We believe that now is the time for health reform," adding that AHIP has been a big player in getting health care reforms off the ground.

I think too many good points have already been published for health care reform to just go away, and in this debate, we see the insurance representative admit that some changes are truly needed.

Byetta, once-a-week diabetes drug, denied FDA approval

The US Food and Drug Authority (FDA) denied the approval of a once a week drug made by two companies for the treatment of diabetes

Amylin Pharmaceuticals and Eli Lilly and Co received a response letter from the FDA asking for clarification on how the once a week version of the drug Byetta was manufactured, finalization of the product labeling, risk evaluation and mitigation strategy.

The companies think that the approval was not given after the agency found some problems in Amylin’s manufacturing plant last December. However, all shortcomings were already addressed.

I seem to remember one of our doctors in the Medical Forum did not like this drug, feeling that older and cheaper drugs were actually better than byetta. Is that why it is having so much trouble getting FDA approval?

Plastic surgery: plumping the lips with neck muscle tissue

Some will go to great lengths for the perfect pout

Forget the collagen, for the perfect pout plump for a lip graft using muscle from your neck, according to US cosmetic surgeons.

A team at the Aesthetic Surgery Centre in Naples, Florida, claim they have achieved good results in 25 patients.

They say the surgery, which can be done at the same time as a facelift, helps defy signs of ageing by making the lips appear fuller and less puckered.

Their findings are published in Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery.

I used to openly oppose plastic surgery until my own girlfriend had “work done”. It looked horrible at first, like a class-A beating, but it soon healed into a nice happy face. She was very happy about it.

Teen girls ages 12-16 attracted to pink camel in cigarette advertising

USA Today

The study, published in the journal Pediatrics, surveyed 1,036 tweens and teens about the cigarette ads. Alongside the ads were promotional giveaways of such items as berry-flavored lip balm, cellphone jewelry, purses and wristbands.

Even though tobacco company reps say the ads were aimed at adults, anti-smoking advocates weren't buying it. Cheryl Healton, president of the anti-smoking group the American Legacy Foundation, says the ads were clearly noticed by teenagers. In 2008, a year after the ads debuted, 22% of teen girls said Camel had their favorite cigarette ads -- twice the number of those who answered Camel in other interviews. Study authors say that clearly shows the campaign -- not the brand -- captured the teens' attention.

I haven’t seen a cigarette ad in ages, but that is only because I don’t read many magazines. Here they are trying to get teen girls hooked on their addictive drug—I thought we had a war on drugs?

Gleeman’s Daily News—03/15/10

2010-03-15T09:17:27Z

Abbott Laboratories shows the MitraClip, on sale in Europe

Graphic shows a procedure that clamps a leaking heart valve

This undated illustration made available by Abbott Laboratories shows the MitraClip extending into the left ventricle. The clip, a fabric-covered clothespin, inserted through a blood vessel in the groin, that clips the two flaps of the mitral valve together and keeps in the heart's main pumping chamber from backing up into the smaller upper chamber. The result is a bow-tie-shaped opening that permits blood flow from the left atrium to the left ventricle during relaxation of the heart, and enables the valve to close more effectively during contraction, rather than allowing leakage of blood backward into the left atrium. (AP Photo/Abbott Laboratories)

This undated photo illustration made available by Abbott Laboratories shows the MitraClip mounted on the end of a catheter. The clip, a fabric-covered clothespin, inserted through a blood vessel in the groin, clips the two flaps of the mitral valve together and keeps in the heart's main pumping chamber from backing up into the smaller upper chamber. (AP Photo/Abbott Laboratories)

ATLANTA — Many Americans with leaky heart valves soon might be able to get them fixed without open-heart surgery. A study showed that a tiny clip implanted through an artery was safer and nearly as effective as surgery, doctors reported Sunday.

The device is already on sale in Europe, and its maker, Abbott Laboratories, hopes to win approval to sell it in the United States next year. Elizabeth Taylor reportedly got one last fall — the 77-year-old actress told fans about it on Twitter.

About 8 million people in the U.S. and Europe have leaky mitral valves — the valve between the heart's left upper and lower chambers. Not all are so bad they need treatment, but the worst cases can lead to heart failure over time.

In the study, six times more people who had surgery suffered complications during the next month than those who got Abbott's MitraClip. Deaths, strokes and blood transfusions were less common with the device. The clip was not dramatically less effective than surgery after one year.

Doctors called the study a watershed — the first big test of repairing or replacing heart valves through arteries rather than drastic surgery.

If it’s good enough for Elizabeth Taylor, who are we to argue with it? Actually, you can argue with it all you want, this clip is new and may not stand up to the test of time, you’ll hear about it more this year when they go for FDA approval in the US.

Intensive blood pressure and blood fat management do not lower diabetics' higher heart risks

The FDA said it will conduct a full review of findings from a study which concluded that neither aggressive lipid-lowering therapy nor tight blood pressure control reduced cardiovascular events in persons with diabetes. Both Trilipix and TriCor are marketed by Abbott, and Trilipix is "the active metabolite of TriCor," according to Marshall Elam, MD, PhD, of the Memphis VA Medical Center.

(JB Reed/Bloomberg News/Getty Images)

Results from the highly anticipated Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) trial proved once again that when it comes to traditional measurements of heart disease risk, lower isn't always better.

Using a blood pressure target of 120 mm Hg rather than the general population standard of 140 did not reduce nonfatal heart attacks, nonfatal strokes or death from cardiovascular causes, reported Dr. William Cushman of the VA Medical Center in Memphis, Tenn.

Likewise, adding the cholesterol-busting drug fenofibrate to standard statin therapy did not reduce the chances of major adverse cardiovascular events, according to Dr. Henry Ginsberg of Columbia University in New York City.

As a doctor, will this study change how you prescribe to diabetics? And what about that aspirin every day? Is that out, too? It will be interesting to see what our friends at the FDA say about the study.

Obama’s push for health care reform supported by Catholic hospitals

Marueen FitzGerald, left, and Meghan FitzGerald stand praying the rosary across from the Hillcrest Women's Medical Center of Harrisburg on Front Street in Harrisburg, Pa., Tuesday, March 9, 2010, as part of the 40 Days For Life Campaign. Both are from Lancaster, Pa. According to the 40 Days For Life website, 40 Days for Life is a focused pro-life campaign with a vision to access God’s power through prayer, fasting, and peaceful vigil to end abortion in America. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

WASHINGTON—A group representing Catholic hospitals Saturday rallied behind President Barack Obama's health care bill ahead of a House vote in which anti-abortion lawmakers could play a decisive role.

The chief executive of the Catholic Health Association, Carol Keehan, wrote on the group's Web site that although the legislation isn't perfect, it represents a "major first step" toward covering all Americans and would make "great improvements" for millions of people. The more than 600 Catholic hospitals across the country do not provide abortions as a matter of conscience.

The association's support widens a split among abortion foes on whether the bill goes far enough to prevent taxpayer funding for the procedure. House Democratic leaders are trying to turn that debate to their advantage as they press for a vote on Obama's bill as early as this coming week. Winning over even a handful of anti-abortion Democrats could help Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., find a clear path to the 216 votes she needs for passage.

I’m not afraid to talk about the abortion issue, but it seems like the fight to keep abortion a legal medical operation—for the poor, the rich can always fly to France for abortions—goes on forever. Do you remember illegal abortions and how they killed women?

UK study indicates fluctuations in BP could warn of stroke

About half of adults in the UK are affected by high blood pressure

People with occasionally high blood pressure are more at risk of stroke than those with consistently high readings, research suggests.

Current guidelines focus on measuring average blood pressure levels to spot and prevent the chance of a stroke.

But research suggests doctors should no longer ignore variation in test results and give drugs that produce the most steady blood pressure levels.

The Stroke Association called for national guidelines to be overhauled.

In the first of the series of studies published in The Lancet, UK and Swedish researchers looked at the variability in blood pressure readings at doctors' checks.

My BP readings are always higher at the doctor’s office, and this can lead to a slightly higher dosage of BP meds. Although I can’t feel any symptoms of high blood pressure, low BP is very weird feeling.

Thimerosal in vaccines cleared by federal courts of causing autism

The vaccine additive thimerosal is not to blame for autism, a special federal court ruled Friday in a long-running battle by parents convinced there is a connection.

WASHINGTON - The vaccine additive thimerosal is not to blame for autism, a special federal court ruled Friday in a long-running battle by parents convinced there is a connection.

While expressing sympathy for the parents involved in the emotionally charged cases, the court concluded they had failed to show a connection between the mercury-containing preservative and autism.

"Such families must cope every day with tremendous challenges in caring for their autistic children, and all are deserving of sympathy and admiration," special master George Hastings Jr. wrote.

But, he added, Congress designed the victim compensation program only for families whose injuries or deaths can be shown to be linked to a vaccine and that has not been done in this case.

The ruling came in the so-called vaccine court, a special branch of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims established to handle claims of injury from vaccines.

It can be appealed in federal court.

We recently saw a story that reported a high number of parents still believe there is a connection between thimerosal and autism, yet most have their kids vaccinated anyway.

Sports may be good for knee-replacement patients

If you have just had a knee replacement surgery and your doctor has advised you not to engage in any sports activity then read more. A recent study has stated that sport participation post knee replacement is not only safe but may lead to better knee function.

Dr Sebastien Parratte, a research collaborator at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and an assistant professor at the Aix-Marseille University Center for Arthritis Surgery at Hospital Sainte-Marguerite in Marseille, France, said, ''Initially, we though high-impact sports were terrible for the prosthesis. Our eight-year results have shown it is not the case."

Interesting article about a study where lots of people did not do as the doctor suggested, they went in for high-impact sports, and not only did the knees work better, they also got the benefit of the exercise. That must be quite a device, that artificial knee.

Gleeman’s Daily News—03/12/10

2010-03-12T08:49:44Z

WTC responders reach settlement with NYC

Pool photo by Stan Honda

Firefighters worked at the ruins of the World Trade Center in New York in Oct. 2001.

A settlement of up to $657.5 million has been reached in the cases of thousands of rescue and cleanup workers at ground zero who sued the city over damage to their health, according to city officials and lawyers for the plaintiffs.

They said that the settlement would compensate about 10,000 plaintiffs according to the severity of their illnesses and the level of their exposure to contaminants at the World Trade Center site.

I did not know the extent of the illnesses from 9/11, but looking at the photo, it is easy to see how this massive exposure could and did cause physical harm to the people who worked at the scene.

Once a cesarean, always a cesarean? Panel says no

A panel constituting of medical experts from various institutes on Wednesday recommended steps to reverse the old trend--“once a cesarean, always a cesarean”.

Eliminating the difficulty of finding doctors who can help women, who have had a cesarean section before, deliver normally was the main agenda of the panel.

The panel met at a conference held in Bethesda, Md., U.S. by the National Institutes of Health and discussed the reasons behind the constant decline in the rate of VBAC, vaginal deliveries after a cesarean section in the past.

Wouldn’t the doctor decide on this issue? I get the feeling there is a reason for the custom of staying with cesarean, but if you ever watched one, it is quite a drastic surgical procedure.

Sniffing inhalants reported favorite drug of 12-year-olds

(CBS/AP)

(CBS) More 12-year-olds in the U.S. get high by sniffing inhalants than by using marijuana, cocaine or hallucinogens combined, a new government report finds.
A survey released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration finds that lifetime use of potentially deadly inhalants among 12-year-olds was 6.9 percent in 2008, compared with 5.1 percent for illegal prescription drugs, 1.4 percent for marijuana, 0.7 percent for hallucinogens and 0.1 percent for cocaine.

No 12-year-old should be doing any kind of drug, least of all inhalants that destroy the brain. What would a doctor do if he or she suspected that a child was doing this kind of activity?

Boston Scientific's Express LD Iliac Premounted Stent System approved by FDA

The FDA has issued approval for Boston Scientific's Express LD Iliac Premounted Stent System, granting it an indication for the treatment of peripheral artery disease in iliac arteries. It is the same balloon expandable stent that has FDA indication for palliation of malignant neoplasms in the biliary tree, and already has the European CE Mark of approval for PAD in iliac procedures.

This is a company known for their stent products and doing very well. We recently saw a story about their stents for carotid artery doing as well as the normal surgery for this condition.

South Africa increases rate of HIV testing

An estimated 5.7 mln of 48 mln South Africans are HIV positive

CAPE TOWN — The South African government on Thursday announced a ramped up AIDS plan that aims to test 15 million residents for HIV in the world's worst affected country by next June.

President Jacob Zuma's cabinet, which approved the scaled up programme on Wednesday, will lead a voluntary and public testing campaign with the goal of a 50 percent drop in the rate of infection by 2011.

"The target of the HCT (HIV counselling and testing) campaign is to test up to 15 million people by June 2011," cabinet spokesman Themba Maseko told journalists.

"All public health facilities, fixed and mobile, will be equipped to offer HIV testing and to provide ART's (antiretroviral therapy)."

I’m glad to see the country take the problem seriously for a change, they are even planning to provide the antiretroviral therapy, and that should always go along with increased testing. Otherwise, what’s the point of testing?

Rush Limbaugh says he will leave the country if health care reform bill passes

While most of those were empty threats, there are notable exceptions: Film director Robert Altman moved to France after George W. Bush's victory in 2000; Law & Order star Michael Moriarty shipped off to Canada well before that.

But now the decidedly non-liberal Rush Limbaugh has made a similar move, telling his audience he will move to Costa Rica if health care reform becomes law. And now the only question that remains is whether Limbaugh will make good on his word, or join the ranks of the empty-promisers.

I hope the bill passes and he moves to another country, so many of his opinions are against the “common man”, you have to own a corporation to receive any good words from good old Rush.

Gleeman’s Daily News—03/11/10

2010-03-11T07:57:22Z

Eprotirome may replace statins in the future

The new pill is expected to do the same job as statins but without giving patients unpleasant side effects

A cholesterol-busting pill that could cut the risk of heart attacks and strokes without the unpleasant side-effects of statins has been developed by scientists.

Eprotirome tablets rapidly lowered cholesterol and other dangerous blood fats in men and women for whom statins were not working well.

Levels of artery-clogging cholesterol fell by up to a third - an effect equal to doubling the amount of statins, the respected New England Journal of Medicine reports.

This is a drug that is years away from being available, but if approved, it may replace the popular statins which we have discussed in the Medical Forum. I hope this is good news.

Research team shows how gene maps can be used to spot disease

Dr. Richard Gibbs (L) and Dr. James Lupski in a photo courtesy of the Baylor College of Medicine.

Credit: Reuters/Handout

(Reuters) - Two studies published on Wednesday show it is possible to sequence the entire gene maps of families with inherited diseases and pinpoint the offending bit of DNA.

The studies, which would not have been possible a year or two ago, are the first real delivery of the promised transformation of medical science from the Human Genome Project's mapping of the human genetic code.

One was also made possible by some of the $5 billion that U.S. President Barack Obama directed to the National Institutes of Health in September from the $787 billion economic stimulus package.

And in that study, the genetic researcher was himself one of the patients.

Always looking for signs of progress in medicine, this is a very positive look at how gene maps might be someday used to spot illness and head it off at the pass. Maybe one day, we will all get customized vaccinations against the diseases lurking in our particular genes. Might be a real lifespan booster.

Bisphosphonates may weaken bones in postmenopausal women

Widely used osteoporosis drugs maybe doing more harm than good as they have been shown to weaken bones

This is the finding of a study conducted by researchers from Columbia University Medical Center featuring 111 post-menopausal women.

These drugs are comprised of bisphosphonates which in the short term do indeed preserve bone, but over a prolonged period of use may actually weaken bones.

Osteoporosis is a condition characterized by weak and brittle bones, and bisphosphonates are commonly prescribed to women diagnosed with the condition.

Researchers indicate that after 4 years of use, patients may actually begin to experience the negative side effects of the drugs, and should consult their doctor about alternative forms of treatment.

What are the alternative forms of treatment? Is this a medical Catch 22 situation facing women? I believe we will hear more about this study in the future, perhaps the study will be refuted.

Staying fit will extend your sex life into old age

Keep that fire burning: A study has found that ageing couples who still keep fit enjoy a far better sex life than their unfit counterparts

If you are hoping to keep the flames of passion burning into your 80s then a regime of regular exercise may pay dividends.

Those who keep themselves fit and healthy are still interested in sex in their eighth decade, a study has found.

But their unfit counterparts give up on lovemaking up to 20 years earlier.

Where do you sign up for studies like this one? In the photo, that old guy looks like he could die any time, but at least he will die happy. I thought we proved in the 60’s that old people like sex?

Medtronic nerve stimulating implant failed FDA scrutiny

A deep brain stimulation device from Medtronic is seen in a file photo.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday a nerve stimulating implant from Medtronic failed to significantly reduce seizures in epilepsy patients.
Medtronic Inc., the world's largest medical device maker, has asked the FDA to approve its Deep Brain Stimulation implant for epilepsy, a neurological disease that causes seizures.
The device is already used to treat other movement disorders, including Parkinson's Disease, and more than 6,000 people in the U.S. have had the device implanted in the past decade.

As I see it, this device works for the primary purpose of movement disorders, but it did not reduce seizures. I think they are on the right track, however, and that implants will eventually help seizure patients.

Baby slings may pose smothering and falling risk

Getty

Baby slings may put infants at risk for smothering, as well as falls, consumer agencies have said.

Baby slings - those cuddly carriers that allow parents to keep their infants strapped close to their chest - may not be as safe as they look.

In fact, they’ll soon be the subject of a government safety warning because infants carried in this way can potentially be suffocated, and several have, according to the Associated Press.

Now the Consumer Product Safety Commission is preparing to issue a warning about the slings that may go public before the end of the week.

“We know of too many deaths in these slings, and we now know the hazard scenarios for very small babies,” Inez Tenenbaum, head of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, said, according to the AP. “So, the time has come to alert parents and caregivers.”

Hard to believe something so simple and universal as a sling would pose a threat to infants, but we have to listen to the facts of life, these things are apparently dangerous. But what else is there?

Gleeman’s Daily News—03/10/10

2010-03-10T08:48:24Z

Canadian study: flu vaccine for school-aged children may be a key to “herd immunity”

Vaccinating children against flu reduces influenza transmission in the wider community, a study carried out in Hutterite colonies in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba found. (Chuck Stoody/Canadian Press)

Vaccinating children against seasonal flu helps protect others in their community, a new Canadian study suggests.

Public health researchers had hoped that immunizing enough young people would pay off in protecting others who are not immunized, a concept known as herd immunity, but it hasn't been demonstrated in a randomized trial until now.

The trial was carried out in 49 Hutterite colonies in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba by Dr. Mark Loeb of McMaster University in Hamilton and his colleagues. Children in the communities between the age of three and 15 were randomly assigned to receive standard influenza vaccine or hepatitis A vaccine, which served as a control. Neither the subjects nor the researchers knew who received which vaccine.

Using isolated communities for disease studies may be effective, but is it ethical? Also, I looked up the meaning of the word “Hutterite” out of curiosity. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hutterite

Live kidney donors do not face shortened lifespan

London: Live kidney donors do not have higher risk of dying later: This Tuesday the US researchers said live kidney donors do not have a higher risk of dying after donation.

Dr Dorry Segev stated “Surgical mortality did not change during the 15-year period (between 1994 and 2009), despite differences in surgical practice and donor selection.”

Kidney donors had higher chances of mortality rate following the first 90 days of their surgery. But recently it is found that donors have less mortality rate compared to non-donors.

It was also found that male donors had higher mortality rate within one year of their surgery than female donors.

That is nice to know, you can donate a kidney without shortening your life, assuming you start out with two healthy ones and don’t die from complications of the surgery.

New York: We have a winner in the city’s condom design contest

New York City held a contest to design the wrapper for condoms distributed free in city bars, clinics and gyms

NEW YORK — An electric power button symbol inched past other entries to win New York's condom wrapper design contest, the city said Tuesday.

The winning design shows the familiar "on" symbol found on computers and other electronic devices.

It defeated nearly 600 other hopefuls before coming out on top of the five finalists, which included a top hat, a suggestive train tunnel and even a municipal manhole cover.

"I hope my package design reminds people that they're in control. We all have the power to protect ourselves from sexually transmitted infections, HIV/AIDS and unplanned pregnancies," said winning designer Luis Acosta.

This design winner hopes that his condom design will be a powerful reminder that we are all in control over our own impulses, and if you ever need a condom, I hope one is readily available to you.

Recall of the day: two flavors of Pringles

Mr. Pringles hands out free snacks in New York City in this Nov. 25, 2009 file photo. Pringles's parent company, Proctor and Gamble, announced Tuesday that two flavors of the popular chip have been recalled due to possible salmonella contamination.

Stuart Ramson/Pringles/PRNewsFoto/File

If you were about to pop the top on a can of taco- or cheeseburger-flavored Pringles, you might want to hold that thought.

The meat-inspired chips are the latest products added to a recall stretching back to Feb. 26. Pringles's parent company Proctor & Gamble announced the voluntary recall Tuesday.

The chips contain hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP), a common “flavor-enhancer,” made by Basic Food Flavors, Inc., that has been found to be contaminated with salmonella.

Products from 26 other brands have already been recalled (See here for complete list of products affected). That list could continue to grow, as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is still investigating.

This is a recall list that is bound to grow as more and more products check in, and if anything, should encourage people to eat fresh food whenever possible, and skip the chemicals if you can.

Physicians need more studies on comparative effectiveness

TUESDAY, March 9 (HealthDay News) -- Comparative effectiveness (CE) studies currently are underutilized and should be increased to better guide physicians in the effective everyday use of current therapies, according to a review in the March 10 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Michael Hochman, M.D., and a colleague from Harvard Medical School in Boston reviewed the six leading general and internal medicine journals during 2008 to 2009 and identified 328 randomized trials, observational studies, and meta-analyses on medications, including 104 (32 percent) CE studies comparing current active treatments, and 224 (68 percent) non-CE studies of novel treatments or with an inactive control design. The reviewers characterized and identified funding of the CE studies and compared them to the non-CE studies.

Years ago, our Forum had an active discussion on CE, and I wondered why it did not continue. Do any doctors wish to take a stand on this issue? Do we have any big fans of CE in the house?

Plastic surgery hits a low with recession

An annual survey released Tuesday by a plastic surgeons' association has revealed that the number of cosmetic-surgery procedures in the U. S. plunged for the second year in a row in 2009.

The figures claim 10 million surgical and nonsurgical procedures last year, outlining a 2% fall from 2008, according to a survey of 928 board-certified physicians by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, a Garden Grove, Calif., group of plastic surgeons specializing in cosmetic surgery.

"People just couldn't go for the big items", said Renato Saltz, the association's president.

It seems only like a small decline, I think looks will always guide some people to the surgeon’s table, but can you see anything wrong with the patient in the photo? Looks pretty darn fit to me.

Gleeman’s Daily News—03/09/10

2010-03-09T09:14:46Z

Moderate drinking may help women stay thin

David Silverman, Getty Images

A new study published in the March 8 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine found that drinking alcohol in moderation may help women stay thin. Here, an Israeli woman tastes a red wine at an exhibition in Tel Aviv, Israel, last year.

Women around the world are lifting their glasses to the news: Moderate drinking may help keep the pounds off.
That finding comes from a new study published in the March 8 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. Researchers followed 22,000 women ages 39 or older for 13 years, tracking their weight gain and alcohol consumption.
While all of the women chosen for the study were slim to begin with, as they aged, the women who did not drink alcohol were more likely to put on more weight than those who drank light to moderate amounts.

I don’t think a study like this will cause any women to start drinking, but I would like to know why light to moderate drinking should help keep the pounds off—it almost doesn’t seem fair.

Global Fund says AIDS in newborns could be eliminated by 2015

A new malaria vaccine has been tested on 100 children in a rural part of the west African country of Mali

JOHANNESBURG — Within five years, the world could shield all newborns from HIV, while making strides in reducing deaths from malaria and tuberculosis, the Global Fund to fight the three diseases said Monday.

But those gains depend on the world continuing to ramp up health spending to maintain the current rate of progress, the Global Fund said in its annual report, released ahead of a funding meeting in the Netherlands later this month.

"A world where no children are born with HIV is truly possible by 2015," said Michel Kazatchkine, head of the Global Fund, launching the group's annual report.

I guess it’s no secret that I look for positive stories, and here’s a story about some positive thinkers who want to wipe out some diseases. What have you heard in the past about the Global Fund? Good outfit?

Can parents sue makers of vaccine? Supreme Court will decide

A doctor is pictured preparing a vaccine. The US Supreme Court has agreed to consider whether the parents of a child who suffered serious health problems after being vaccinated can sue a pharmaceutical company for compensation.

AFP - The US Supreme Court has agreed to consider whether the parents of a child who suffered serious health problems after being vaccinated can sue a pharmaceutical company for compensation.

The case, which the highest US court will hear in autumn, will serve as a focal point in a years-long debate in the United States over the effectiveness of preventive vaccines and whether they have caused health problems.

It involves Hannah Bruesewitz, who was left developmentally impaired after receiving a diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccination.

We are all so different genetically, it would not surprise me to learn that some children are harmed by some vaccines, just as one aspirin is enough to kill some people. We all share the risk of vaccination, and we all share the many benefits.

Bill Clinton works to improve quality of drinks sold in schools

Former President Bill Clinton, right, is joined by Dr. Clyde Yancy, president of the American Heart Association, as he holds up a hand held device used by soft drink delivery drivers programmed to only allow orders of products permitted to be sold in schools during a news conference, Monday, March 8, 2010 in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

NEW YORK — The U.S. beverage industry has largely stopped delivering sugary drinks to schools and has replaced them with lower-calorie options, the head of the industry's trade association said Monday.

"It's a brand new day in America's schools when it comes to beverages," said Susan Neely, president and CEO of the American Beverage Association, which represents Coca-Cola Co., PepsiCo Inc. and other major soft drink companies.

The association released a report showing a a 95 percent decline in sales of full-calorie soft drinks to schools between fall 2004 and fall 2009.

She attributed the decline to voluntary guidelines adopted by the industry in 2006 under an agreement with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a joint initiative of former President Bill Clinton's foundation and the American Heart Association.

Clinton, who hosted a news conference at his Harlem office, said he was "stunned" by the results.

I really believe we have targeted a major cause of diabetes and obesity with sugary soft drinks, I used to drink them all the time and I paid the price for it. Where did we learn to ingest all that sugar?

After cancer: removing the healthy breast

Stuart Bradford

For decades, advocates have fought to protect women from disfiguring breast cancer surgery, arguing that it was just as effective to remove only the cancerous tissue rather than the whole breast.

But today, a growing number of women with breast cancer are pushing surgeons in a startling new direction. Not only do they want the cancerous breast removed, but they also want the healthy breast cut off.

“I just didn’t want to worry about it,” explained Liliana Holtzman, 50, an art director in Ann Arbor, Mich., who had both breasts removed after a cancer diagnosis five years ago. “It was for my own peace of mind. I wanted to do everything I could.”

We just saw an article that suggested men need more information about prostate cancer, and this article suggests women need more information before having a healthy breast removed—it doesn’t help survival rates. It never gets easier being a doctor, does it?

Sleep habits vary by ethnicity, study indicates

Metronaps CEO Arshad Chowdhury (R) and another employee demonstrate sleeping "pods" in a darkened room

WASHINGTON — Most African-Americans like to pray just before they do it, white Americans like to do it with their pets, Asians tend to do it best and Hispanics fret about work just beforehand.

It is sleep and the 2010 Sleep in America poll released Monday by the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) shows that sleep habits differ depending on what ethnic group you belong to.

African-Americans have the busiest bedtime routine: three-quarters said they watched television in the hour before going to bed, and only slightly fewer - 71 percent - said they prayed.

Only 18 percent of Asians, one third of whites and just under half of Hispanics said they prayed before going to bed.

You may have noticed that I do my writing and posting at night when the world is a more quiet and serene place, and I don’t sleep well under pressure, I would rather stay up than wake up early.

Gleeman’s Daily News—03/08/10

2010-03-08T08:21:39Z

University of Michigan scientists discover HIV hides in the bone marrow

University of Michigan scientists have identified a new reservoir for hidden HIV-infected cells that can serve as a factory for new infections. The findings, which appear online today in Nature Medicine, indicate a new target for curing the disease so those infected with the virus may someday no longer rely on AIDS drugs for a lifetime.

“Antiviral drugs have been effective at keeping the virus at bay. However once the drug therapy is stopped, the virus comes back,” says senior author of the study Kathleen L. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of both internal medicine and microbiology and immunology at the U-M Medical School.

This research may well lead to a permanent cure for AIDS, and many other diseases may also hide out in the bone marrow. Now, the question is how to make an antiviral that works in the marrow.

Washington, D.C. first city to distribute free female condoms

For almost a decade, Washington, D.C. has had a program that’s given free condoms to men. Now, it’s the ladies’ turn.The District is about to become the first city in the United States to distribute female condoms free as a part of a project that will make 500,000 of them available in beauty salons, convenience stores and high schools in parts of the city with high HIV rates.

City officials said the distribution could begin within the next three weeks in parts of wards 1, 2, 3, 6 and 7, where a study showed that large numbers of African American heterosexuals engage in risky sexual behavior that could easily lead to infection.

This change signals the District’s HIV/AIDS Administration’s shift in taking a more aggressive approach to the city’s steep rate of HIV infection. Officials also said that they are turning to female condoms to give women more power to protect themselves from HIV and sexually transmitted diseases when their partners refuse to use protection.

I felt this photo showed the scale of size better than others available, remembering that most people have never seen one or touched one, that is about to change for a half million people in D.C.

Deep and meaningful conversations make people happier

Indulging in chit-chat and gossip can leave one depressed, claim scientists

Those idle chats over the garden fence about the weather, the football or last night's TV may seem perfectly harmless. But don't be so sure.

Indulging in chit chat, gossip and small talk can leave you feeling miserable, scientists claim.

Happiness is more likely to be found among those whose discussions are deep and meaningful.

Scientists believe a person's well-being is directly related to the incidence of profound discussions they have.

This makes sense and validates why those in good relationships are so happy, they are talking on a deeper level, perhaps. So, like the teacher always said, keep the idle chit-chat to a minimum.

Dutch government wants H1N1 vaccine maker to buy back excess stock

A nurse prepares a H1N1 flu vaccine shot at a hospital in Budapest in this November 20, 2009 file photo.

Credit: Reuters/Karoly Arvai

(Reuters) - The Dutch government wants to sell 21 million unused H1N1 flu vaccine doses back to their manufacturers after they proved unnecessary and no other country wanted to buy them, the Health Ministry said on Saturday.

A spokeswoman for the ministry said it had approached manufacturers GlaxoSmithKline and Novartis about buying back the doses.

She added that it was not clear what their total value was. She also declined comment on the status of the talks, saying the ministry would inform parliament of the details at a later date.

At the height of the H1N1 scare, the ministry ordered 34 million doses of pandemic flu vaccine -- enough to give two shots to every person in The Netherlands.

Of the original order, about 11 million doses were administered and another 2.2 million are being kept in reserve for emergencies.

What ever gave them the idea they could return vaccine to sender for a refund? If that is indeed the contract, why is this even new? Somehow, the Dutch government is trying to escape all risk in this matter, and we’ll see how they do.

Americans who buy their own health insurance are facing up to 50% rate hikes

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, left, speaks with various state insurance commissioners and insurance industry executives in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, March 4, 2010. From left are, Sebelius; Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner Joel Ario; and West Virginia Insurance Commissioner Jane Cline. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

"15,000 people a day lose their insurance, and some of those folks are being actually priced out of the marketplace," said Health and Human Services secretary Kathleen Sebelius.
In fact, major insurers are seeking premium hikes for individual policies - people not covered through work: 56 percent in Michigan, more than 25 percent in California, and 20 percent or more in Oregon, Maine, and Connecticut. And double digit increases are completed or pending in at least eight other states.
That's why the president has often co-opted the maddening rate hikes to make the case for health care reform, mentioning them in this weekend's address and in a Super Bowl interview with Katie Couric when he noted that "one of the major insurers in California just announced in the individual market they are increasing their premiums by 39 percent."

I know we have many members of the Forum who do not feel we need any health care insurance reform, but doctors have to buy insurance, too, and as usual, are targeted for this extra expense.

Artificial limbs needed in Haiti

Andy Lambert of Hanger Orthopedic Group in Richland shows used artificial limbs Tuesday Feb. 9, 2010 that local residents have donated for earthquake victims in Haiti. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS/Tri-City Herald, Bob Brawdy

They are known in Creole as "ko kobe," or "crooked body," those Haitians shamed and shunned for their twisted or missing limbs, eyes that do not see, brains that move too slow.

But since January's earthquake, thousands more have joined this band of the socially outcast disabled, the victims of crush injuries and raging infections that led to the amputation of an arm or leg.

"There are so many amputees, I've never seen so many amputees," says Ed Epp, executive director of Christian Blind Mission Canada, an organization that works to improve the lives of people with all types of disabilities in impoverished countries.

Estimates of the number of children and adults with amputated limbs range from 2,000 to 4,000 and as high as 7,000, he says, quoting Handicapped International and Haitian government figures.

A stunning photo I had to include in the Daily News, most people are not aware of the high cost of an artificial limb, so if you have any connections in this area of medicine, the need is there.

Gleeman’s Daily News—03/05/10

2010-03-05T09:37:41Z

Recall of the day: hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP)

Numerous food products are being recalled due to possible salmonella contamination in a widely used flavor enhancer, hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP), the FDA has announced.

HVP, a relative of MSG, enhances savory flavors in processed foods such as soups, hot dogs, chili, stews, dips, salad dressings and other snack foods.

"We don't know precisely how large this recall will get, but we expect this to get larger over the next several days to several weeks," Jeff Farrar, FDA associate commissioner for food protection said at a Thursday press conference.

Diabetics usually become avid readers of ingredients, and I am no exception, but this HVP is in almost every processed food you will find, a very common ingredient to label-readers.

Health secretary Kathleen Sebelius will compel insurance companies to justify huge rate increases

Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius walks to a microphone stand to speak to reporters following her meeting with health insurance company executives and related industry officials at the White House in Washington, March 4, 2010. Credit: Reuters/Kevin Lamarque

The Obama administration stepped up pressure on health insurance companies on Thursday, calling on some of the top U.S. companies to be more public in explaining "jaw-dropping" rate increases to consumers.

Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, following a White House meeting with several top health insurance executives, said she wants insurers to post information about rate increases online along with financial data to back them up.

"This market doesn't work," Sebelius said in pressing the case for lawmakers to pass a final healthcare bill. "But in the meantime, we want to shine a bright light."

Obama and his team are going to use the greed of these companies as examples of why we need reform in health care insurance, this is what happens when you invite a bright light to shine on an industry—all the cobwebs suddenly show up.

At risk for malaria: Haiti refugees and aid workers

A woman walks by the destroyed Sacre-Coeur Church

WASHINGTON — Hundreds of thousands of Haitians living in makeshift shelters and thousands of aid workers providing relief since a powerful quake rocked the country in January are now threatened by malaria, a US report said Thursday.

"Displaced persons living outdoors or in temporary shelters and thousands of emergency responders in Haiti are at substantial risk for malaria," the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in its weekly morbidity and mortality report.

Malaria caused by plasmodium falciparum, which is the most deadly and severe form of malaria, is endemic in Haiti, and the mosquito that carries and transmits it "frequently bites outdoors," the report said.

I thought we had a vaccination against malaria—am I wrong? The article mentioned there is a pill one can take to prevent malaria—does it work? Why don’t we give them to the people in Haiti?

DNA test could indicate best weight-loss diet for that individual

Different diets work better for some people than others

A simple DNA test may predict whether someone is more likely to lose weight on a low fat or a low carbohydrate diet, say US researchers.

The results from the small preliminary study of 101 women showed those on the best diet for their genes lost two to three times more weight than the rest.

The results are being presented at an American Heart Association conference.

Experts said the findings tied in with previous studies, but further work should be carried out.

Going on any type of diet can be a slow and frustrating process, this might explain why some diets work so well for some and not so well for others.

Doctors—what do you think of the new A1c test?

Recent studies have shown that glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) has been found to be a better predictor of cardiovascular disease and diabetes than blood glucose.

The A1C test measures the persons’ blood sugar levels over the past two or three months meaning it measures the percentage of hemoglobin that is glycated or glycosylated. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) set the levels at 5.7 - 6.4% is a diagnosis for pre-diabetes and 6.5% and higher is a diagnosis of diabetes.

The lead author of the project, Elizabeth Selvin, said, “Our data show that glycated hemoglobin is a really potent risk factor for diabetes and cardiovascular disease. If you have abnormal glycated hemoglobin results, you should be targeted for diabetes and cardiovascular disease interventions.” Selvin is an assistant professor of epidemiology and medicine at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland.

Would doctors recommend this test for their patients who have diabetes? I think it is always check on the blood test, but other than that, is this a home test kit, and would you say to buy it?

Ludacris and Jamie Foxx spread the word on prevention of AIDS

Recording artist and actor Ludacris appears on Fuse TV Feb. 25. Ludacris is among stars participating in the CDC's campaign to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS in the black community, which is disproportionately impacted by the virus. By Bryan Bedder, Getty Images

By Stuart Ramson, AP Jamie Foxx co-produced an HBO film released in 2007 about a mom who overcomes addiction to become an AIDS activist in the black community. Here he stands at the Life Support premiere with cast members Charisse Woodall, left, and Chyna Layne.

Actor Jamie Foxx and recording artist Chris "Ludacris" Bridges today join the ranks of celebrities who have lent their popularity to push HIV prevention as part of a social media effort targeting young African Americans.

The "i know" campaign is sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which aims to draw thousands of young people into a conversation about HIV using Facebook, Twitter, text messages and a website (actagainstaids.org). It launches today with an event at Clark Atlanta University that will be webcast to students nationwide.

It is nice to see young stars of stage and screen try to help prevent AIDS, and as long as the kids listen to them, why not let them spread the message?

Gleeman’s Daily News—03/04/10

2010-03-04T07:53:21Z

FDA warns food manufacturers to make labeling more accurate

Jon Protas for The Wall Street Journal

Claims for POM Wonderful juice drew FDA criticism.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned 16 food and beverage makers against making product claims that don't adhere strictly to federal labeling rules.

The crackdown is a shot across the bow of the food industry. The Obama administration has made a priority of encouraging Americans to eat more healthfully. Regulators are scrutinizing food marketing amid concerns about links between diet, obesity and disease.

A TV yoga trainer once said that if you prepare meals for another person, you are largely responsible for that person’s health. As a diabetic, I need accurate labels on all food. Period. Why so hard to do?

Men need more education on prostate cancer screening

The American Cancer Society is urging doctors to make clearer to men that the test used to screen for prostate cancer has limits and may lead to unnecessary treatments that do more harm than good.

(Photographer's Choice/Getty Images)

Months after experts discounted the importance of routine mammograms and Pap smears for many women, the American Cancer Society is warning more explicitly than ever that regular testing for prostate cancer is of questionable value too, and can do men more harm than good.

The cancer society has not recommended routine screening for most men since the mid-1990s, and that is not changing. But the organization is urging doctors to talk frankly with their patients about the risks and limitations of the PSA blood test when offering it.

Men are not comfortable even talking about prostate cancer, let alone seeking out screening for it—this is another one of those things that doctors need to take control of and dictate what happens. Power to the doctors!

Hopes for Pfizer’s Alzheimer medication are dashed in trials

Pfizer Inc. said Wednesday that its Alzheimer's drug candidate Dimebon did not meet its goal in a late stage clinical study, as the drug was no better than a placebo at treating the disease.

(Photodisc/Digital Stock)

Dimebon, a once-promising new Alzheimer's drug from Pfizer Inc., may be no more effective than a placebo at treating the disease, according to late-stage clinical data released by the company Wednesday.

But while this news comes as a shock to many and a disappointment to all in the Alzheimer's community, some experts say the game's not over yet for Dimebon.

"The need for new therapies is huge and we should not be daunted by a single failed trial," says Dr. Pierre Tariot, associate director of the Banner Alzheimer's Institute. "The field…is littered with examples of trials that fail to show benefit even with drugs that work and are FDA approved. From my perspective, the drug needs to be studied further."

This drug may be useful for something altogether different, keep studying it until you find a use for it. Meanwhile, the search goes on for a treatment. People in my family get this disease. Keep trying.

Could you spot a census scam?

Newly hired census worker Sierra Carter manages an information table in Maryland. Census scams can be avoided with the right knowledge.

TIM SLOAN / STAFF

As the U.S. Census gets underway, the Miami-Dade Consumer Services Department is cautioning consumers to learn how to spot potential scams.

Every U.S. household will receive a short, 10-question form in the mail within the next few months. It requires that you account for everyone living at your address as of April 1 and includes a prepaid envelope so you can mail it back.

Any request for census information will be clearly marked as coming from the U.S. Census Bureau and as OFFICIAL BUSINESS of the United States.

Just a quick reminder that scammers are out there trying to steal information about you, and as a doctor, you are probably used to that situation. As an easy-to-find online guy, I get every scam and strange offer the Internet has going. Haven’t yet seen any census scams, but I’m sure I will.

Educational DVDs for babies may have the opposite effect

Warning: Parents who show their babies educational DVDs may actually be harming their word skills

Parents who buy educational DVDs to give their toddlers a head start may be doing more harm than good.

A study of almost 100 boys and girls aged between one and two found that regularly watching a DVD from the Baby Einstein range did nothing to boost their vocabulary.

In fact, the younger the children were when they began to watch the programmes, the worse their word power.

This pretty much seals the deal, young children don’t get much out of watching TV. But as someone raised on TV, I still like it anyway, the colors are so vivid.

Doctors feel targeted by proposed cuts in Medicare

Getty

Targeted: This MD was protesting ObamaCare, but docs are already underpaid by Medicare.

One look at my office tells you that I'm still taking Medicare patients: The worn carpet and peeling paint give it away.

Yes, Medicare's payment rates are that bad.

The real threat of a further across-the-board cut of 21 percent only added to the old problems of "routine" Medicare cuts.

The program now pays $53 for a standard office visit; with the cut, that would've been $40. For comparison, Aetna pays $70.

Average Medicare payments to physicians have been relatively stagnant since 2001 (but reimbursements for surgery and procedures have been cut a lot). Meanwhile, average total physicians' costs have risen 20 percent.

Our forum has long discussed this proposed cut in Medicare, and the feeling is that payments are already too low, in fact, doctors may decide by the hundreds that they can live without taking Medicare patients—that would be a disaster to many.

Gleeman’s Daily News—03/03/10

2010-03-03T08:30:56Z

Cost of food-borne illness $152 billion/year

Among the food scares in recent years was a deadly E. coli outbreak tied to spinach. In most cases, it's unknown how or why people get ill from what they eat. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images / September 15, 2006)

A new consumer research report released Wednesday has found that the health-related costs of food-borne illnesses total $152 billion a year, including the costs of medical bills, lost wages and lost productivity. That total is more than four times that of earlier estimates calculated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The findings come as regulatory efforts to patrol the country's food sector are growing amid reports of a string of costly -- and sometimes fatal -- outbreaks of food-borne illness involving peanuts, jalapeno peppers, spinach, beef and other foods.
The report, sponsored by the Produce Safety Project at Georgetown University, provides a comprehensive examination of health costs associated with flaws in the nation's food safety system and "demonstrates the burden of food-borne illness," said Sandra Eskin, director of the Pew Charitable Trusts' Food Safety Campaign, a supporter of the study.

This article indicates that food-borne illness is much more expensive than originally thought, and I hope the report will increase funding to research methods of making food safer for all.

Do doctors sometimes hasten the death of a child cancer patient?

In a recent study involving 141 parents whose children died of cancer a year earlier at three different hospitals in Boston and Minnesota, a handful of parents admitted to asking their child’s doctor to hasten their child’s death in order to end the suffering; according to these parents the doctors complied with the parents’ wishes and administered fatal amounts of morphine.

Of the parents interviewed for the study 13 percent admitted to considering asking doctors to end their child’s life and 9 percent said that they had the discussion with their child’s caregiver. Parents of five of the children said they had specifically asked for their children to be put to death in order to stop the pain and three parents said that the doctors actually followed through with the request.

The lead author of the survey as well as several other physicians say that they doubt the doctor actually went through with the request; rather, they think that doctors might have increased morphine doses to ease pain and that the children’s subsequent deaths were only coincidental.

This must be the hardest thing to deal with as a doctor, the death of children, and I hope you will read the comments from readers at the close of the article, and make your own comments here.

Dr. Healy on costs of health care reform

Dr. Bernadine Healy

One thing we can all agree on is that Americans spend too much on medical care. When a brief visit to the emergency room can cost several thousand dollars or a course of a new cancer drug runs $100,000, there can be no doubt that costs are out of control. Many people do not think they're footing these bills, because some 85 percent have insurance. But they are, really, by sacrificing income that could be used for other needs like school tuition in exchange for a bloated employer benefit. Putting it starkly, Americans now spend more on healthcare each year than on food.

Here are the opinions of one doctor who thinks we pay too much money for health care in America. Do you agree with her? Where do you think we can save money without hurting the patients or the doctors?

10 companies sued over contamination in fish oil

The Mateel Environmental Justice Foundation announced this morning that after months of testing and investigation, they are suing ten fish oil companies.

The Foundation found that all 10 fish oil supplements they tested (there are 100 on the market, they have not yet tested them all) contained Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB compounds). According to the Foundation's Website, www.fishoilsafety.com, PCBs are "man-made industrial chemicals with long track records as some of the worst environmental pollutants and human health threats."

So what can we do as consumers? The Foundation found that some omega-3 fish oils have lower amounts of PCBs than others. Of the ten products they have tested, those that contained the lowest levels of PCBs are (in order): Solgar Norwegian Cod Liver Oil, TwinLab Norwegian Cod Liver Oil, GNC Liquid Norwegian Cod Liver Oil, and TwinLab Emulsified Norwegian Cod Liver Oil. Another option is to take omega-3 supplements that are created from plant oils, instead of fish oil. After testing, it was determined that plant oil supplements do not contain PCBs.

Looks to me like the answer is to go with omega-3 from plant oil, do any of our doctor take such supplements, and what do you think of this lawsuit, do you think they have a valid case?

Los Angeles sued by medical marijuana advocates

Photo by mares8 via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr

As warned to the L.A. City Council by advocates during public meetings over the last year, lawsuits would be filed if an ordinance limiting dispensaries was approved. Now that an ordinance has been approved--it is expected to take effect on March 14th--advocates today filed a lawsuit on behalf of two dispensaries, reports the LA Times.

The lawsuit was filed by Americans for Safe Access on behalf of Venice Beach Care Center and the PureLife Alternative Wellness Center. Both were in operation prior to the 2006 moratorium, but the lawsuit states that the ordinance “severely restricts access to medical marijuana by effectively forcing plaintiffs, as well as the vast majority of collectives in the City, to close their doors.”

Now the fighting in court begins, I’m sure it will be tied up for years, and after millions of dollars are wasted in courtroom time, it will probably be fully legalized in California. Enough money has been spent fighting this drug. The fight is all but lost, in my opinion.

Food industry cutbacks on salt could save $32 billion in health costs

A woman gathers salt crystals at a mine on Senegal's coastline near the Gambian border, June 12, 2006. Credit: Reuters/Finbarr O'Reilly

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Working with the food industry to cut salt intake by nearly 10 percent could prevent hundreds of thousands of heart attacks and strokes over several decades and save the U.S. government $32 billion in healthcare costs, U.S. researchers said on Monday.

Eating too much salt is a major cause of high blood pressure, which the Institute of Medicine, one of the National Academies of Sciences, last week declared a "neglected disease" that costs the U.S. health system $73 billion a year.

Several governments including the United States are looking for solutions to curb salt intake as a way to head off future heart attacks and strokes that help drain healthcare systems.

The study by a team at the Stanford University School of Medicine and the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System in California used a computer model to measure the impact of two different scenarios for reducing salt intake on a population level -- a voluntary collaboration with the U.S. food industry and a national tax on salt.

This is one area of the food chain I could really cut down on, salt. It is in just about everything and all snack food is full of it. I would bet we all eat way too much salt. It’s cheap, too.

Gleeman’s Daily News—03/02/10

2010-03-02T08:43:25Z

Tracking the flu, why this season is not typical

This has been a flu season like few others.

Normally at this time of year, influenza is rampant in the U.S., prompting hundreds of thousands of people to stay home in the dead of winter with fever, aches and pains.

Now, after raging through college campuses and communities last summer and fall, cases of the new H1N1 swine flu virus have dwindled to a trickle, and run-of-the-mill seasonal flu has barely made an appearance. Not one state reported widespread flu illness to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the week ended Feb. 20, the latest data available. The percentage of all doctors' visits by patients with influenza-like symptoms has dropped from a high of 7.8% in late October—the largest peak since the agency began surveillance in 1997—to 1.8% in late February, well below the norm for flu season.

I can’t remember seeing a response to the flu like we have seen in the past year, it seems the entire world reacted to the fight against flu this time like never before, there is much confidence in the vaccine.

Anthem Blue Cross sued over rate hikes

Proposed rate hikes by Anthem Blue Cross have triggered state and federal investigations. (David McNew / Getty Images / February 9, 2010)

A consumer group sued Anthem Blue Cross on Monday, accusing California's largest for-profit health insurer of violating state law by closing certain policies to new members while illegally offering remaining customers alternative plans with fewer benefits at higher rates.
Santa Monica-based Consumer Watchdog says in its lawsuit, which seeks class-action status, that Anthem closes "blocks of health insurance business" without offering comparable options. It did this last fall, just months before it informed policyholders who stayed put that their rates would rise as much as 39%, the suit says.

Too much greed at the wrong time puts this insurance giant in the courtroom, let’s see how they defend raising premiums at such a sensitive time in the history of health care in America.

Are you eating a diet that’s good for your heart?

If you are confused about what you should or shouldn’t eat to reduce your chances of developing heart disease—you’re not alone. Delving into the hundreds of diet books and websites and interpreting the various and conflicting studies can make even the best nutrition scholar shake their head and give up. But there are people who live for statistics and nutrition research and are willing to dig in and find out what is best for our bodies.

Interesting article about food and the heart, it does seem strange that doctors almost never talk about diet—is that because people lie to them so much, or is there just not enough time?

Parity law equalizes mental health and physical care benefits

Thanks to a new federal law, Denise Camp no longer has to pay more to treat her depression than to have her other health-care needs met. (By Susan Biddle For The Washington Post)

Denise Camp was resigned to the double standard that had long applied to her medical bills, forcing her to skimp on other expenses so she could pay for mental health treatment.

While visits to her internist for physical problems required a $20 co-pay, her weekly therapy sessions with a social worker cost $50 and trips to the psychiatrist who prescribed her medication were $75. A similar disparity applied to medicines: Drugs to treat the crippling depression that ended her engineering career cost her twice what she paid for an antibiotic.

This is one small example of why we need health care reform in this country, we are not treating all illness with fair concern, why should a mental illness cost more than a physical one? Crazy?

Should young athletes go through heart screening?

A jogger runs in Boston, Massachusetts September 21, 2009. Credit: Reuters/Brian Snyder

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Several of the nearly 100 young U.S. athletes who die suddenly and unexpectedly during sports every year could be saved through more effective screening for heart problems, US researchers suggested in a new study published Monday. The measures, according to another study, will cost less than $100 per athlete.

Most of the athletes who die are college or high school students who suffer cardiac arrests triggered by heart disease nobody knew about until the accident.

While current guidelines recommend a physical exam and a medical history before participating in college sports, some doctors believe measurements of the heart's electrical activity -- known as an electrocardiogram, or ECG -- should also be required.

Two independent U.S. studies, both published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, now show that this extra measure allows doctors to identify twice as many at-risk athletes in a cost-effective way.

"We spend a lot of money trying to design treatment for people late in life," cardiologist Dr. Aaron Baggish, who worked on one of the studies, told Reuters Health. "This is a chance to make a difference in young people."

I am always saying that health reform should start with the young people, so why not check someone’s heart before they go all out in a sport? Seems to make sense, we need to promote safety in sports.

1 in 4 parents believe in the unproven autism-vaccination link

According to a study of 1,552 parents, most parents follow the advice of their children’s doctor concerning vaccinations. However, this study also showed that one out of every four parents in the United States believe that certain vaccinations could cause autism in otherwise healthy children, although there is no proven correlation between these two things. It is very lucky for the children of these parents that they do not let their fears about vaccinations override the need to have their children vaccinated to protect them from life-threatening illnesses.

Many parents have based their fear that vaccinations can cause autism on a speculative study completed in 1998. This study was recently retracted by a British medical journal after it was determined that the author of the study acted dishonestly and unethically. There have been no other studies that have linked vaccinations and autism.

I think it is wonderful that most parents put away these unfounded fears about vaccinations and go ahead with their children’s shots, but it would be nice to get rid of the fear in the first place.

Gleeman’s Daily News—03/01/10

2010-03-01T08:10:01Z

Exposure to BPA may increase risk of asthma

Studies done at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston show that Bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical often found in baby bottles and the lining of aluminum cans, may lead to allergy related asthma. Production of the chemical started about 40 years ago, a timing that scientists note coincides with increasing asthma rates.

Tests on BPA have been done on lab mice. The researchers found the mice born to mothers exposed to 10 micrograms of BPA developed airway problems while mice born to mothers exposed to low or no BPA did not develop the problem. These tests show a significant enough increase in allergy related asthma that some states have begun banning the chemical in containers that could be used by children under the age of four.

Scientist believe that this study is a good example of what could happen to humans, but they admit that mice studies are not always accurate in people.

It seems there would be a great market for baby items certified free of BPA, in fact, I think they banned it in Canada. Do we have any plastics experts that can inform us why BPA is not needed?

Carotid artery stents prove as good as surgery in stroke prevention

Graphic shows how carotid artery stents help prevent strokes (J. Bell - AP)

SAN ANTONIO -- People at risk of a stroke because of narrowed neck arteries can be safely treated with a less drastic option than the surgery done now, the largest study ever done on these treatments concludes.

If Medicare agrees to cover it, hundreds of thousands of Americans a year might be able to have an artery-opening procedure and a stent instead of surgery to remove built-up plaque, doctors say. A stent is a wire-mesh tube that props the blood vessel open.

Stents have long been used to fix heart arteries but are approved for use in the neck only for people too sick for surgery. The new study, in people with less severe disease, suggests stents may find much wider use.

This looks like good news for stent manufacturers, but I am curious about the nature of surgery replaced by these neck stents. Perhaps one of our doctors can fill us in about what the surgery involves.

Severe meat allergies may be more common than we realize

Deadly allergic reactions caused by eating meat are reported to be much more common than previously thought, a new study finds.
Previous studies had reported rare cases of anaphylaxis or severe and potentially life threatening allergic reactions to meat; the new study, however, says the condition to be more common.
According to the study presented at the 2010 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology in New Orleans, the production of IgE antibody in response to a carbohydrate in meat known as alpha-galactose is responsible for unexplained allergic reactions reported after eating meat.

This is interesting, I wonder how meat has somehow escaped as a cause for killer allergic reactions, perhaps this study will help doctors identify meat allergies more accurately in the future.

Census is coming soon, will you be counted?

On March 15, the U.S. Census Bureau will mail out questionnaires to 130 million households. The forms should be filled out and mailed back by April 1 — Census Day.
For the first time, all households will receive the same 10-question census form. The longer, 50-question form, used in previous censuses has been replaced by the American Community Survey, which has been collecting housing, income, education and employment data on a yearly basis during the past decade.
The Census Bureau hopes the shorter form, which should take 10 minutes to complete, will increase the response rate of Americans. In 2000, 67 percent of Americans returned their census questionnaires by April 1. In Florida, the response rate was slightly lower — 63 percent. The Census Bureau contends that it saves $85 million in follow-up costs to non-responding households for every one percent increase in the response rates.
The Census, conducted every 10 years, determines the distribution of more than $400 billion a year in federal funds based on population.

I hope all our members will respond to the census and help out the government with the knowledge needed to distribute the mentioned $400 billion a year. Wow, that sounds like a lot of money, eh?

FDA approves drug to treat Gaucher Type 1 disease

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new drug for the treatment of Gaucher Type I Disease. Shire HGT , Inc has been approved to release the drug at a time when the only other manufacturer of a treatment for this disease is having manufacturing problems.

Gaucher Type I disease is an enzyme problem that causes lipid buildup throughout a persons body. The disease can be deadly if not treated. While this is a very rare disorder, people of a specific Jewish descent seem to be the largest affected people to get the disease.

I never heard of this one, can any of our doctors tell us something about Gaucher disease? For instance, how would you know if you had it? Any tell-tale signs? At least there is a treatment now.

Health care reform: why doing nothing is not an option

Image by AFP/Getty Images via Daylife

As we all know by now, one of the biggest scare tactics that proponents of the health care status quo put forth is that, if health care reform passes, people who feel well-served by the current health care system can kiss their comfort goodby. The cost of insuring poor folks will sit firmly on the backs of the middle-class. Forcing hospitals to control costs means that none of us will get the treatments we badly need. We can expand Medicaid only by decimating Medicare. Oh, yeah, and let’s not forget the death panels.

Even if any of that were true, simple morality and decency would dictate that we have to make some sacrifices to insure that no-one is suffering — or dying — because they simply cannot afford medical care.

But the fact is, it’s not true.

Here’s a nicely-balanced look at the issues involved in the current health care reform debate, of course, written by a woman. Have a heart, America, do you really want to be stepping over the dead bodies of people who couldn’t afford their premiums?

Gleeman’s Daily News—02/26/10

2010-02-26T08:11:03Z

Kentuckians for Single Payer Healthcare rally in Louisville

The group Kentuckians for Single Payer Healthcare held another rally in downtown Louisville Wednesday.

It was one of many demonstrations across the country in response to President Obama’s healthcare summit with lawmakers in Washington.

The demonstrators are opposed to most of the legislation on the table. They favor an expanded Medicare system that would provide single-payer healthcare to all citizens.

Kay Tillow helped organize the event. She says even if healthcare overhaul legislation is passed, her group will still call for more changes.

“We will continue to push because there’s nothing that they are now considering that will solve the problem,” she says.

Opponents of the single-payer plan say it would be too expensive or inefficient. Tillow says high costs and inefficiencies are caused by for-profit insurers.

Notice the low-cost sign the demonstrator is holding? They couldn’t even afford sticks to hold the signs up in the air. These are probably the folks we should listen to, at least they know how to save money on printing!

Wellpoint CEO called before Congress to defend rate hikes

In this photo released by Wellpoint Inc., the company's CEO Angela Braly is shown. Braly is being called before Congress this week to defend planned rate hikes as high as 39 percent for some customers even as the parent company made billions. (AP Photo/Wellpoint Inc.)

The CEO of WellPoint Inc., the nation's largest health insurer, is being called before Congress this week to defend planned rate hikes of as much as 39 percent for some customers even as the company made billions last year.

The issue bubbled up earlier this month, as notices about rate increases for the individual health insurance business of WellPoint's Anthem Blue Cross subsidiary in California were widely publicized. Similar premium increases are being seen by policyholders in a handful of states.

The Obama administration has seized on the issue to renew its push for an overhaul of the health care system.

At the heart of the debate is the question of what should be a fair profit for health insurers. WellPoint CEO Angela Braly will likely be grilled on the issue when she appears at a Congressional hearing Wednesday. Here are some questions that explore the issue.

As I called it in a previous comment, this is what we call “making hay while the sun shines”, taking every advantage of vulnerable individuals who have have no group power, and just raising the rates.

Australia fights swine flu with free vaccinations

BRISBANE: Queensland Health will offer free swine flu vaccinations at locations across the southside this weekend amid news a second wave of the deadly virus is likely to hit Australia.
Queensland Health community and primary health services executive director Glenn Bradley said vaccinations against the Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (human swine flu) would be administered to the community at six Brisbane schools.
“Queenslanders can protect themselves, their family and their local community by taking advantage of the free immunisation clinics at state high schools,” he said.

This is a country taking swine flu very seriously, as they will for quite some time since we are told the seasonal flu of tomorrow is the swine flu of today. I would like to know more about the health system in Australia.

Boston Scientific guilty of not informing of problems in Guidant implanted devices

The Justice Department said Guidant discovered in 2002 that its Ventak Prizm 2 DR was prone to electrical arcing, which could keep the device from responding when the patient suffered irregular heart rhythms. (Bloomberg News file photo)

The U.S. Department of Justice filed charges against Boston Scientific Corp.’s Guidant division Thursday, saying it did not fully disclose problems with its devices to regulators.
The charges, filed in U.S. District Court in St. Paul, are part of a previously announced agreement for Boston Scientific Corp. to plead guilty to the two misdemeanor charges.
The company, based in Natick, Mass., agreed in November to plead guilty to the two counts, which had not yet been filed, and pay $296 million to resolve the investigation.
The investigation concerned three implantable heart devices. The Justice Department said Guidant discovered in 2002 that its Ventak Prizm 2 DR was prone to electrical arcing, which could keep the device from responding when the patient suffered irregular heart rhythms.
Guidant changed the design of the device in November of that year, but in August 2003, it told the Food and Drug Administration that the changes did not affect the safety or effectiveness of the device.

Just imagine how you would feel having a pacemaker recalled right out of your body because of arcing. Talk about a sinking feeling, but better to know than to not know about such an important problem.

Breast implant stops bullet

One of one of Lydia Carranza's silicone implants took the force of the blow, stopping bullet fragments from reaching her vital organs Photo: CORBIS

Lydia Carranza was working in the office of a dentist in Beverly Hills, California when a gunman ran in and opened fire.

He aimed the weapon directly at her heart but one of her silicone implants took the force of the blow, stopping bullet fragments from reaching her vital organs.

The gunman had gone to the dental office looking for his wife, who also worked there. She was shot and killed in the attack. Mrs Carranza was sitting a few feet away when the gunman turned on her.

"She's just one lucky woman," surgeon Dr Ashkan Ghavami told the Los Angeles Times. "The bullet fragments were millimetres from her heart and her vital organs. Had she not had the implant, she might not be alive today."

I have never been a big fan of breast implants—at least I don’t think I have been—but this article indicates they are at least good for something other than amusement. What a horrible thing, to be shot.

Robotic surgery simulator introduced

BUFFALO, N.Y. — One of the first things Mike Ameroso asked while contemplating robotic surgery for his prostate cancer was how many surgeries his doctors had done with the robot.

He liked the idea of the robot's smaller incision and steady miniature "hands" and the promise of less pain and a quick recovery — but had his doctors put in time at the controls?

After all, "an aircraft is only as good as the pilot who flies it," concurred Thenkurussi Kesavadas as he and Ameroso took part Thursday in the rollout of a new robotic surgery simulator that lets surgeons practice endlessly in a field that's growing by leaps and bounds.

The "RoSS" simulator closely approximates the touch and feel of the widely used da Vinci robotic surgical system. It was developed through a collaboration between the Roswell Park Cancer Institute and University at Buffalo, where Kesavadas heads the Virtual Reality Lab.

This device looks like something out of a science fiction movie. Amazing way for a surgeon to practice an operation over and over until it feels right. This is truly a great training device for surgeons and a stunning-looking piece of equipment.