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AVMA Reaffirms Commitment To Host Pike Place Fish Market Educational Program
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) announced that it is moving forward with its original plan to host an educational, team-building program by the Pike Place Fish Market"s world-renowned fishmongers at its annual convention, which will be held in Seattle, Wash., July 11-July 14.

Even While Considering Major Overhaul, Democrats Expand Government Role In Public Health
"As if hedging their bets on health reform, Democrats are emphasizing smaller but still significant health-related investments this year, from food safety and community health centers to a greater emphasis on rooting out abuses in Medicare and Medicaid," Politico reports. "It"s a far cry from the more ambitious government-backed insurance option proposed by President Barack Obama and House Democrats. But it does add up to a major expansion of the government"s role in public health - and one that shows a greater willingness to add personnel to regulate and administer programs."
News of the day
Is Midline Or Transverse Incision Better For Abdominal Surgery?
An unusual study at the Department of Surgery at Heidelberg University Hospital examined for the first time whether the incision technique used in major abdominal surgery had an effect on the results. Neither physician nor patient knew what kind of incision had been made. The study of 200 patients showed that pain perception and the healing process were unrelated to the technique used to open the abdominal cavity. Complications were also just as frequent, except for wound infections, which were more frequent for transverse incisions, possibly due to circulatory problems. The surgeons in Heidelberg thus recommend that the surgeon make an individual, case-by-case decision on the incision technique.
Nutrition

Hear! Hear! Texas Wines Fight Cancer Growth

It"s happy hour for Texas wineries. Research now shows that wines produced in the Lone Star State share the anti-cancer traits known to exist in wines from other producing regions. Extracts from two Texas red wines decreased cancer cell growth in a comparable magnitude as other wines previously studied, according to Dr. Susanne Talcott, Texas AgriLife Research food and nutrition scientist. Her study, which concluded in May, showed decreased growth of colon and breast cancer cells treated with port and syrah (or shiraz) wine. It was the first such study of the health components of Texas wines, she said. "These results could definitely be projected to all Texas wines containing similar amounts of bioactive compounds," Talcott said. "And this will be the basis for a continued intensive study of all the health benefits of wines made in this state." Talcott presented her findings at the recent Texas Viticulture and Enology Research Symposium. She said the findings suggest that people who consume regular, moderate amounts of Texas wine daily -- up to a glass and a half -- may profit from similar health benefits ascribed to wines from other regions. "In general, studies show that wine may either prevent cells from mutating into cancer cells, or stop existing cancer cells from growing and causing them to die," Talcott noted. The scientific reasons behind her findings don"t exactly make easy party talk, so think of it this way: wines interact with a newly discovered class of molecules in cancer cells, called micro RNAs, a type of nucleic acid associated with chemical activities in a cell. Some of those micro RNAs are involved in causing cancer. Compounds in wine can go after these molecules like cops chasing criminals down a dark alley. In general, cancer cells merrily proliferate unregulated until the wine compounds interact and "arrest" the cancer cells, causing them to die, Talcott explained. The compounds also may work to prevent cancer, she said. The study of the health aspects of Texas wines may coincide with an anticipated continued rise in consumption, according to marketing analysts. Total wine consumption increased in Texas by 1.25 percent in 2007, according to Natalia Kolyesnikova, at the Texas Wine Marketing Research Institute at Texas Tech University. In the U.S., wine consumption is expected to increase from 292.1 million to 321.5 million cases by 2012. "If Texas follows this pattern, Texas wine consumption should expect to see similar growth patterns," Kolyesnikova reported. Talcott now will begin a more intense study of the health components of Texas wines, including clinical trials and benefits on other ailments such as cardiovascular disease. "We will not be short in study participants," she noted. She also plans a monthly news briefing on the health of Texas wines to the state"s 177 wineries and is available to speak at events and wine tasting rooms to share information on health benefits of wines and specifically Texas wines with the public. Notes: The Texas wine studies are part of a project funded by the Texas Department of Agriculture to improve the state"s grapes and wine production and to promote consumption of Texas wines. Additional information about the Texas wine research and education efforts can be found at http://winegrapes.tamu.edu/ or at http://www.gotexanwine.org/. Kathleen Phillips Texas A&M AgriLife Communications


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