Health News
E-Clips
An electronic healthcare news link service
provided by UHA,
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Promising cancer
treatments being tested (KSL.com, April 27, 2008) n the all out war against
cancer, what are the clever killers that will knock out the disease?
Researchers at the Huntsman Cancer Institute have some very encouraging news --
a way to attack cancers and perhaps wipe them out! http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=3177531
EC and hospitals (Opinion, Salt Lake Tribune, April 25, 2008) I am responding to the editorial "Preventing rape: It's time to talk to young men" (Our View, April 20). As a student in the master of social work program at the University of Utah, I worked on a project to encourage all Utah hospitals to offer emergency contraception to every sexual assault victim they treat. http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/ci_9059077
Doctor to speak on Parkinson's (The Spectrum, April 28, 2008) John Steffens, MD, will speak and answer questions about Parkinson’s disease on May 8 at 6 p.m. in the Knight Education Center, 600 S. 300 East. http://www.thespectrum.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080426/NEWS01/80426005
Students helping
orphaned burn victim from
Child-abuse policies
in
Shuttle service helps
cancer patients (Deseret News, April 28, 2008) A
few years ago, a couple crashed their car when one fell asleep while returning
to Vernal from
New booster-seat law in effect May 5 (Deseret Morning News, April 28, 2008) Law enforcement agencies will start to enforce a new booster-seat law for children starting May 5. http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695274407,00.html
State pursues funds
to educate kids about abuse of prescription drugs (
Get kids active (Editorial, The Spectrum, April 28, 2008) We live in an area that is, for all intents and purposes, a large outdoor playground. We have national parks, lakes and sports fields set aside for our use. We have parks, and we have great neighborhoods in which children can play. http://www.thespectrum.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080428/OPINION/804280301/1014/OPINION
National Healthcare Headlines
Cash Before Chemo: Hospitals Get Tough (Wall Street Journal,
April 28, 2008) When Lisa Kelly learned she had leukemia in late 2006, her
doctor advised her to seek urgent care at
Across
Study Warns Job Losses Will Strain Government Health Programs (New York Times, April 29, 2008) Leading health researchers projected Monday that each percentage-point rise in unemployment during the economic downturn would swell the uninsured by 1.1 million, stoking demand for government health coverage just as states face pressure to cut benefits. (You must register to view this link—no fee) http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/29/health/policy/29kaiser.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin
Are Your Medical Records at Risk? (Wall Street Journal, April 29, 2008) When it comes to protecting the privacy of patients' computerized information, the main threat the health-care industry faces isn't from hackers, but from itself. (You must have an online subscription to view this story) www.wsj.com
As Doctors Get a Life, Strains Show (Wall Street Journal, April 29, 2008) U.S. medicine is in the middle of a cultural revolution, as young physicians intent on balancing work and family challenge the assumption that a doctor should be available to treat patients around the clock. (You must have an online subscription to view this story) www.wsj.com
Group Urges Ban on Medical Giveaways (New York Times, April 28, 2008) Drug and medical device companies should be banned from offering free food, gifts, travel and ghost-writing services to doctors, staff members and students in all 129 of the nation’s medical colleges, an influential college association has concluded. (You must register to view this link—no fee) http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/28/us/28doctors.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin
Dental Clinics, Meeting a Need With No Dentist (New York Times, April 28, 2008) The dental clinic in this village on the edge of the Bering Sea looks like any other, with four chairs, a well-scrubbed floor and a waiting area filled with magazines. (You must register to view this link—no fee) http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/28/business/28teeth.html?th&emc=th
The FDA Needs Help
(Editorial, Washington Post, April 27,
2008) Janet Woodcock, director of the Food and Drug Administration's Center for
Drug Evaluation and Research, had reassuring news for the American people at a
Senate hearing on Thursday: "We are confident the [blood-thinning drug]
heparin in the
Fosamax tied to increased risk of heart condition (USA Today, April 29, 2008) The osteoporosis drug Fosamax appears to double a woman's odds of developing atrial fibrillation, a chronic irregular heartbeat, a study reported Monday. http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-04-28-fosamax_N.htm
Diabetes
drug, bone fracture risk linked (USA Today, April 29, 2008) A widely
used class of drugs for diabetes might ramp up the risk that patients will
break a hip or suffer another debilitating bone fracture. http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-04-28-avandia-study_N.htm
More babies born to
diabetic mothers: study (Washington Post, April 28, 2008) More American
women are entering pregnancy with diabetes, raising the odds of a problem
pregnancy and the potential that their children will become diabetic in the
future,
Elderly More Likely to Battle Sleep Disorders (Washington Post, April 27, 2008) Many older adults don't get enough sleep, which can increase the risk of serious health problems such as obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes, says the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. (You must register to view this link—no fee) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/27/AR2008042700732.html
Gene therapy experiments improve vision in nearly blind (KSL.com, April 28, 2008) Scientists for the first time have used gene therapy to dramatically improve sight in people with a rare form of blindness, a development experts called a major advance for the experimental technique. http://www.ksl.com/?nid=169&sid=3176684
End genetic discrimination (Editorial, Deseret Morning News, April 28, 2008) No one has control over his or her genetics. Thus, it is wrong to deny employment or insurance coverage because someone's genes render them more susceptible to certain diseases, conditions or disorders. http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695273925,00.html
A Genetics Pioneer
Sees a Bright Future, Cautiously (New York Times, April 29, 2008) Among
scientists, 84-year-old Arno Motulsky
is known as the “father of pharmacogenomics.” In
1957, Dr. Motulsky, a medical doctor and researcher
at the
Genes Explain Race Disparity in Response to a Heart Drug (New York Times, April 29, 2008) Doctors who treat patients with heart failure have long been puzzled by a peculiar observation. Many black patients seem to do just as well if they take a mainstay of therapy, a class of drugs called beta blockers, as if they do not. It is almost as if they were immune to the drugs. (You must register to view this http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/29/health/research/29heart.html?th&emc=th
Responding to a
Tragedy (Editorial, Washington Post, April 27,
2008) Nothing can make amends for the death of 12-year-old Deamonte
Driver. He was the Prince
George's County boy who died in February last year as the result of an
infected tooth. But the terrible story of his death has been a powerful prod to
Studies on Chemical In Plastics Questioned (Washington Post, April 27, 2008) Despite more than 100 published studies by government scientists and university laboratories that have raised health concerns about a chemical compound that is central to the multibillion-dollar plastics industry, the Food and Drug Administration has deemed it safe largely because of two studies, both funded by an industry trade group. (You must register to view this link—no fee) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/26/AR2008042602126.html?wpisrc=newsletter
U.S. Scrambles to Address International Food Crisis (Washington Post, April 26, 2008) The Bush administration and Congress have been caught flat-footed by rapidly escalating global food prices and are scrambling to respond to a crisis that they increasingly view as a threat to U.S. national security, according to government officials, congressional staffers and human rights experts. (You must register to view this link—no fee) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/25/AR2008042503278.html?wpisrc=newsletter
Eradicating Malaria Worldwide Seen as a Distant Goal, at Best (Washington Post, April 26, 2008) A generation after the first attempt failed, people are once more talking seriously about eradicating malaria. (You must register to view this link—no fee) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/25/AR2008042503504.html?wpisrc=newsletter
When the Smoke
Cleared (
Cost and
effectiveness of
A Great Pox’s
Greatest Feat: Staying Alive (New York Times, April 29, 2008) The findings were hardly earth-shaking. They dealt with an
obscure bacterial infection found in an equally obscure group of natives in
Humana's Net Rises 13% On Sizable Claims Drop (Wall Street Journal, April 28, 2008) Humana Inc. posted a 13% rise in first-quarter net income amid a sizable claims drop as the company's Medicare prescription-drug operations continued to struggle. (You must have an online subscription to view this story) www.wsj.com
FDA Denies Approval for Merck's Cordaptive Cholesterol Drug (Wall Street Journal, April 28, 2008) Merck & Co. says the Food and Drug Administration needs more information on its cholesterol drug candidate Cordaptive, but the pharmaceutical company is reaffirming its profit guidance despite the setback. (You must have an online subscription to view this story) www.wsj.com
FDA Clears InfrareDx Device That Measures Artery Plaque (Wall
Street Journal, April 29, 2008) The Food and Drug Administration said
Tuesday it cleared for marketing a device by InfraReDx
Inc. that can help physicians see inside a blood vessel to assess the fat
content of plaque in coronary arteries. (You must have an online subscription
to view this story) www.wsj.com
Rituxan Fails as Lupus Treatment, Genentech and Biogen Announce (Wall Street Journal, April 29, 2008) Genentech Inc. and Biogen Idec Inc. said a later-stage trial for using Rituxan as a treatment for lupus failed by every count, in another unsuccessful effort to see what other ailments the drug could help. (You must have an online subscription to view this story) www.wsj.com
Healthcare on the Campaign Trail
Health Care on McCain Horizon (Washington Post, April 29, 2008) In Sen. John McCain's perfect health care world, individuals would each seek the ideal health insurance policy in a competitive marketplace that would drive down premiums even as prevention and healthier living reduces the cost of care. http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/04/28/health_care_on_mccain_horizon.html
Bowling 1, Health
Care 0 (Opinion, Elizabeth Edwards, New York Times, April
27, 2008) For the last month, news media attention was focused on