- News

Using Antibiotics To Prevent Gastric Cancer

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 PDT

Helicobacter pylori, a bacterium found in about 50% of humans worldwide, can cause stomach ulcers and, in extreme cases, gastric cancer. In an article for F1000 Medicine Reports, Seiji Shiota and Yoshio Yamaoka discuss the possible eradication of H. pylori infections Infection by the H. pylori bacterium can approach 100% in developing countries. Most infected people do not have symptoms, but many develop problems including stomach ulcers. H...

A Sporting Chance For Active Total Knee Replacement Patients

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 PDT

Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) patients may be able to participate in high-impact sports without increasing risk of early implant failure, according to a new study presented at the 2010 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS). In addition, the authors observed better clinical scores in the group of patients who participated in activities discouraged by the Knee Society (KS) than those of the control group. The Knee Society recommends TKA patients avoid activities that cause high stress loads on the implant and may increase the risk of early failure...

Safety And Efficacy Of Drug-Eluting Stents Vs. Bypass Surgery To Be Determined By EXCEL Trial

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 PDT

The announcement of a new clinical trial, EXCEL (Evaluation of Xience Prime versus Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery for Effectiveness of Left Main Revascularization), that will compare drug-eluting stents to coronary artery bypass graft surgery in patients with left main coronary artery disease, was made today at "Optimizing PCI Outcomes: Evolving Paradigms," a symposium presented by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation...

Sex Offenders: Mathematical Model Can Help Communities Better Evaluate Policies

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 PDT

A new mathematical model developed by Indiana University Bloomington and Arizona State University geographers could help communities that are in the midst of passing or reforming sex offender laws. The researchers describe the model and report its first test in an Early View edition of Papers in Regional Science. By forcing users to quantify risk and issues of special concern, the model can help the policymakers of concerned communities to focus on the spatial management of sex offenders and not mere punitive measures...

Repair Of Torn Knee Meniscus At The Time Of ACL Reconstruction Is Safe And Effective For Children

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 PDT

Eighty-four percent of children 18 and younger had successful clinical outcomes during an eight year follow-up to repair a torn meniscus (cartilage that provides cushioning to distribute your body weight across the knee joint) at the same time as reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), according to a new study presented today at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's Specialty Day in New Orleans, (March 13). The success of the meniscus repair, however, depended on whether the tear type was simple, complex or a "displaced bucket-handle," the study found...

More Focus On Reaching MDGs Needed, Development Officials Say

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 PDT

During a conference in London Thursday, development officials urged world leaders to "accelerate efforts to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015 and [said] rich countries must make good on promises to boost aid to poorer nations," Reuters AlertNet reports...

African Leaders, Donors Endorse 'Ambitious' Agriculture Development Plan

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 PDT

At a meeting this week in Nigeria to address African agriculture production, "African leaders and donor agencies have endorsed an ambitious plan to generate employment, income and food security in Africa by developing agribusiness and agro-industries," Punch reports. The event was organized by the AU, the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDP), FAO, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the African Development Bank (AfDB), according to the newspaper (Ibrahym, 3/12). The U.N...

GAVI Alliance Reaches Agreement With Drugmakers On Reduced-Price Pneumococcal Vaccines

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 PDT

Several drugmakers have reached an agreement "to supply up to 200 million doses a year of cut-price pneumococcal vaccines to developing nations," according to GAVI Alliance, Reuters reports. A formal announcement of the deal is expected "in the next couple of weeks," GAVI's Deputy Chief Executive Officer Helen Evans told the news service Thursday. "Pneumococcal disease is one of the world's biggest killers of children, claiming up to 1.6 million lives each year...

U.N. Not Fully Funded To Meet Needs In Haiti, Says Humanitarian Chief; Media Examines Care For Country's Elderly

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 PDT

After announcing a revised appeal of $1.4 billion in February to finance emergency relief as well as recovery and reconstruction, the U.N. "is struggling to provide support for equake-ravaged Haiti," according to humanitarian chief John Holmes, Reuters reports. "We did extremely well on raising funds for the initial flash appeal, but we are struggling, I'm afraid, to raise resources for the revised appeal. ... We have got 49 percent of what we need for the whole year and we are appealing to donors to come forward with more resources for that relief operation," Holmes said. The U.N...

U.S. State Department Releases Annual Human Rights Review

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 PDT

The U.S. State Department on Thursday released its annual review on the state of human rights around the world, the Associated Press reports. The 2009 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, which includes an assessment of 194 countries, "described abuses in Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe," according to the news service (Klug, 3/11)...

Recent Releases In Global Health

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 PDT

Lancet Comment Asks: What's Next For Global Fund? Reflecting on the recent annual report by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, a Lancet comment writes, "Two big challenges remain [for the Global Fund]: first, to show, reliably and independently, that the Fund's investments have delivered the benefits that it claims; and second, on the basis of those independent evaluations, to make a new call for mobilisation of funds...

Democrats Look For Consensus On Final Reform Package

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 PDT

Democrats Thursday looked for a way forward on a health reform bill as colleagues in the House worried about abortion, other provisions and Senate passage of a reconciliation measure. The New York Times: "Leaving a meeting of the House Democratic Caucus, lawmakers said they had received few details about what would be in the legislation, on which they may be asked to vote in the next week or two." Lawmakers continue to wait for cost estimates from the Congressional Budget Office on President Obama's proposal for a health overhaul...

GOP Plots Political Strategy To Foil Democrats On Heath Overhaul

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 PDT

The Wall Street Journal reports on a Republican strategies for influencing Democratic health reform votes. "Republicans ... are ramping up their warnings to Democratic lawmakers themselves, saying a 'yes' vote puts their political careers at risk. ... 'I believe if they ram the bill through the House like this, they will lose their majority,' (House Minority Whip Eric Cantor) said. ... 'They do this at their peril.'" Republicans have shifted their strategy, which before consisted of pointing at public opinion they said was against the Democrats' health overhaul...

Groups Take To Streets, Airwaves For Health Reform Endgame

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 PDT

The Charlotte (N.C.) Observer: "With the health care debate headed toward a showdown on Capitol Hill, the battle is being joined locally at street rallies, in television ads and through phone banks. Members of Congress, particularly Democratic moderates such as Rep. Bob Etheridge, are facing stepped-up lobbying efforts as President Barack Obama makes a final push for passage of a bill aimed to change the health care system. At the same time, conservative critics are waging a last effort to derail the bill" (Christensen, 3/12)...

Experts: Americans Get Too Many Tests, Too Much Treatment

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 PDT

The Associated Press: "Too much cancer screening, too many heart tests, too many cesarean sections. A spate of recent reports suggest that too many Americans -- maybe even President Barack Obama -- are being overtreated." Defensive medicine and a culture focusing on medical technology have lead to overtesting but "now new evidence and guidelines are recommending a step back and more thorough doctor-patient conversations about risks and benefits...