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Legislation Introduced To Tackle California's GPCI Problem, Raise Medicare Rates In Certain High-Cost Counties
U.S. Rep. Sam Farr (D-Calif.) and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) introduced legislation sponsored by the California Medical Association to eliminate one of the biggest barriers for seniors to get access to health care - low Medicare reimbursement rates in several counties.

Global Public Health Threat Continues From Lead-Based Consumer Paint
Although lead content in paint has been restricted in the United States since 1978, University of Cincinnati (UC) environmental health researchers say in major countries from three continents there is still widespread failure to acknowledge its danger and companies continue to sell consumer paints that contain dangerous levels of lead.
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Cystic Fibrosis - Liposomal Tobramycin Receives Second Orphan Drug Designation Within Weeks
An innovative treatment for infections of the respiratory tract in cystic fibrosis patients has received a second orphan drug designation in the US only weeks after a first designation was granted. The recent designation relates to Burkholderia cepacia pathogens that can cause lethal infections in cystic fibrosis patients. For Axentis Pharma AG of Zurich, Switzerland, both designations affirm the therapeutic potential of its product candidate Fluidosomes(TM)-tobramycin, whose unique microbiological profile sets it apart from other antibiotic formulations (including free tobramycin).
Oncology

A Novel Approach For Treating Cognitive Impairments Identified By Animal Model For Schizophrenia

Researchers have been seeking a safe and effective way to treat cognitive impairments associated with schizophrenia by enhancing N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) glutamate receptors. Functional deficits in NMDA receptors may contribute to the underlying neurobiology of this disorder. The first generation of studies trying to stimulate NMDA receptors administered large amounts of substances, like glycine or D-serine, which indirectly enhance NMDA receptor function. While there were some positive reports of efficacy, findings across studies were more inconsistent than was hoped. New approaches following this line of research are just beginning to be tested in patients. For example, several pharmaceutical companies are studying drugs that block the glycine transporter (GlyT1) and thereby raise synaptic glycine levels. A new study in Biological Psychiatry, published by Elsevier, by Dr. Kenji Hashimoto and colleagues may represent a "next step," which is to prevent the inactivation of D-serine by the enzyme D-amino acid oxidase (DAAO). The authors found that this approach enhances the efficacy of D-serine in an animal model for deficits in NMDA glutamate receptor function. To put it more simply, although D-serine is used as a treatment for schizophrenia, it is metabolized by DAAO, reducing its availability in the brain. So, using an animal model of schizophrenia, these scientists co-administered D-serine and a compound that blocks the effects of DAAO. This increased the levels of D-serine in the mice and therefore its effectiveness in treating the abnormal behaviors in this animal model that may be relevant to schizophrenia. "We still do not have effective treatments that specifically target the cognitive and functional impairments associated with schizophrenia. These findings are very interesting because there is a continued sense that we have not yet captured the therapeutic promise associated with the glycine site of the NMDA receptor. GlyT1 blockers and DAAO inhibitors may be important new clinical research tools," comments John Krystal, M.D., Editor of Biological Psychiatry. Further research is still needed to see whether these findings can be extended to humans, but it is hoped that this combination therapy proves to be a novel and effective treatment of schizophrenia. Notes: The article is "Co-Administration of a D-Amino Acid Oxidase Inhibitor Potentiates the Efficacy of D-Serine in Attenuating Prepulse Inhibition Deficits After Administration of Dizocilpine" by Kenji Hashimoto, Yuko Fujita, Mao Horio, Shinsui Kunitachi, Masaomi Iyo, Dana Ferraris, and Takashi Tsukamoto. Authors Hashimoto, Fujita, Horio, and Kunitachi are affiliated with the Division of Clinical Neuroscience, Chiba University Center for Forensic Mental Health, Chiba, Japan. Iyo is from the Department of Psychiatry, Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba, Japan. Ferraris and Tsukamoto are with the Eisai Research Institute, Baltimore, Maryland. The article appears in Biological Psychiatry, Volume 65, Issue 12 (June 15, 2009), published by Elsevier. The authors" disclosures of financial and conflicts of interests are available in the article. John H. Krystal, M.D. is affiliated with both Yale University School of Medicine and the VA Connecticut Healthcare System and his disclosures of financial and conflicts of interests are available at http://journals.elsevierhealth.com/webfiles/images/journals/bps/Biological_Psychiatry_Editorial_Disclosures_08_01_08.pdf. Jayne Dawkins Elsevier


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