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Strength Training And Aerobic Exercise Both Lower Cardiovascular Risks, Reduce Pain
Different types of work site exercise programs have multiple benefits, including reduced neck and shoulder pain for employees who do all-around exercise and lowered heart disease and stroke risk factors for those who do strength training, reports a study in the July Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM).

Studies Highlight A Revolutionary New Method Of Treating Post-Operative Bruising
Candela Corporation (Nasdaq: CLZR) announced that two studies have reported superior results on patients who benefited from the Candela Vbeam(R) laser treatments for bruising resulting from cosmetic procedures. The studies concluded that the Vbeam pulsed-dye laser significantly expedited the healing process, improved outcomes, and provided greater overall patient satisfaction.
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In Vitro Antibody Production Enables HIV Infection Detection In Window Period -- Key To Safer Blood
Researchers in Israel and Kenya have shown that the contribution of variable degrees of immune suppression, either due to existing chronic infections such as parasitemias and/or nutrition, in different populations may influence and prolong the serological-diagnostic window period of HIV. However, the immunosuppression can be overcome, by in-vitro enhancement of antibody production (termed- Stimmunology). The results, which appear in the August 2009 issue of Experimental Biology and Medicine, show that pre-treating the whole blood sample in the SMARTube™ containing immune potentiating agents promoted the synthesis and release of antibodies against HIV-1 prior to their detection in corresponding plasma samples in a group of donors who would otherwise be classified as HIV-1 seronegative blood donors. The identification of techniques that can lead to detection of HIV infection during this window period is of obvious public health importance especially in re poor settings highlighting the importance of these findings. Overcoming the suppression, in-vitro, led to the production of detectable levels of anti-HIV antibodies in the whole blood sample and to the detection of potentially infectious blood units which were missed by regular HIV serology. Interestingly, the ratio of missed infections among the total HIV infected blood donors was higher among the younger (high-school) donors versus adult donors.
Endocrinology

CBO: Health Reform Bills Bend Cost Curve In Wrong Direction

"Congress"s chief budget analyst delivered a devastating assessment yesterday of the health-care proposals drafted by congressional Democrats, fueling an insurrection among fiscal conservatives in the House and pushing negotiators in the Senate to redouble efforts to draw up a new plan that more effectively restrains federal spending," the Washington Post reports. President Obama and congressional Democrats have said bending the "cost curve" of health care spending is a priority in health reform, to ensure soaring costs don"t become unsustainable. Douglas Elmendorf, the director of the Congressional Budget Office, told lawmakers yesterday that bills proposed by the Senate health committee and the House leadership do the opposite: "The curve is being raised" (Montgomery and Murray, 7/17). "In the legislation that has been reported, we do not see the sort of fundamental changes that would be necessary to reduce the trajectory of federal health spending by a significant amount and, on the contrary, the legislation significantly expands the federal responsibility for health care costs," Elmendorf said, according to CQ Politics. Ways to reduce the rate of growth could include taxing employer-provided health benefits and reforming Medicare payments to reward cost effectiveness, rather than volume (Clarke and Epstein, 7/16). The Senate"s No. 2 Democrat, Richard Durbin, D-Ill., retorted that Elmendorf has "taken unrealistic positions" on the health care debate, and has failed to score important cost savings from measures for things like preventive care, the Wall Street Journal reports. "It"s been really hard to work with them." Meanwhile, the Republican leadership embraced Elmendorf"s comments. "The director of the Congressional Budget Office confirmed today what we have been saying for weeks: The health-care-spending plan that some are trying to rush through Congress would actually make things worse," said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Boles, 7/16). This information was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with kind permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives and sign up for email delivery at kaiserhealthnews.org. © Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.


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