Categories
Cardiovascular
Diagnostics
Endocrinology
Health Insurance
Medical Devices
Mental Health
Nutrition
Oncology
Public Health
Sexual Health
Popular Articles

Lobbyists Swarm Around Health Reform Activity
NPR began a series of reports on the health care lobbyists who attend Congressional sessions as part of their campaign. Richard Miller, a "longtime lobbyist for the American Chiropractic Association, says it"s important that the chiropractors keep on top of the health care overhaul legislation - and also take pains to make sure that senators and staff see them doing that, because the chiropractors are small dogs in a big fight." President Barack Obama "certainly sees Washington"s lobbyists as an obstacle to change. He"s tried limiting their access to the executive branch, but that runs into the constitutional question." Lobbying is on the rise: "Between 1998 and 2008, the number of registered lobbyists on health care more than doubled, to 3,627, according to the Center for Responsive Politics." Spending also increased: "Organizations lobbying on health care spent $484.4 million in 2008, more than two and a half times the spending in 1998." The project includes an interactive panoramic photo of lobbyists in the Senate HELP Committee hearing room and asks readers to help identify the players (Overby and Seabrook, 6/25).

Specialized Solutions For Brain Mapping And Soft Tissue Imaging
Carl Zeiss has developed a unique series of solutions addressing the different methods for brain mapping and soft tissue imaging. "Scientists are right now attacking one of the last secrets of mankind: imaging and reconstruction of the brain," Dr. Dirk Stenkamp, Member of the Board at Carl Zeiss SMT explains. "We specifically enable the acquisition and analysis of cell images at ultra-high resolution. For that purpose we have developed an extensive range of solutions, based on the sophisticated use of advanced electron and ion-beam microscopes," Stenkamp adds.
News of the day
Merck Issues Statement On WHO Study Showing First Evidence That Elimination Of River Blindness Is Feasible In Africa
Merck & Co., Inc. issued the following statement in response to study results published today by the World Health Organization offering the first evidence that elimination of the tropical disease river blindness (onchocerciasis) in Africa is feasible with treatment with ivermectin (registered trademark Mectizan®). As the discoverer and manufacturer of Mectizan, Merck decided in 1987 to donate the drug to all who need it for as long as necessary until river blindness is eliminated as a public health problem. The Merck Mectizan Donation Program is one of the longest-running disease-specific drug donation and public/private partnership programs in history.
Mental Health

Intensive In-Hospital Support Doubles Likelihood Of Smoking Cessation In Heart Patients

Patients admitted to hospital with coronary artery disease are twice as likely to quit smoking after receiving intensive smoking cessation support compared to minimal support, found a new study in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). The study, a randomized clinical trial, compared intensive intervention with minimal intervention and found that patients admitted for open heart surgery (coronary artery bypass grafts) had significantly higher long-term abstinence rates at 1 year compared with those admitted for heart attacks (acute myocardial infarctions.) Other factors that contributed to successful long-term smoking cessation included absence of a previous heart attack, postsecondary education and at least some smoking restrictions at home. The intervention used in the study resulted in the highest rates of 1-year confirmed smoking cessation in previous tests in the US. This Canadian study involved 45-60 minutes of bedside education and counselling sessions in hospital followed by 7 telephone counselling sessions with a nurse at specific intervals over 2 months. These calls helped patients to problem-solve by developing cognitive, behavioural and social support strategies for use when they found themselves in high-risk situations; in doing so the patients could maintain their smoke-free status. "The rates of confirmed long-term abstinence rates observed in this trial are among the highest rates reported in cardiac populations and are among the highest reported absolute differences between minimal and intensive interventions," write Dr. Patricia Smith, Northern Ontario School of Medicine and Dr. Ellen Burgess, University of Calgary. "Our results suggest that intensive counselling provided during the hospital stay is more effective than a stepped-care approach that provides intensive counselling only after a patient has relapsed," write the authors. They suggest inpatient programs have the potential to significantly reduce cardiac events and hospital costs and should become standard practice in hospitals. In a related commentary, Dr. Nancy Rigotti from Massachusetts General Hospital writes that despite numerous studies pointing to the potential of reducing overall cardiovascular illness and deaths with smoking cessation interventions, these have not yet become standard care. She states a major problem is that the intensive intervention model does not fit into the current health care delivery system. Maintaining health care during the transition from inpatient to outpatient settings is a key challenge for the management of all chronic diseases, including tobacco. She calls for the development of new creative ways to move the research findings into routine practice, a move that she calls overdue. Kim Barnhardt Canadian Medical Association Journal


Add your comment:
Name:
Site address: http://
Your message:
Enter today\\\\'s date, 2 digits
(spam protection):

© Copyright 2009