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Tue Nov 30, 7:16 AM ET
BOMBAY, India (Reuters) - India, home to the world's second largest HIV (news - web sites) population after South Africa, is set to begin human trials of a new vaccine against the virus in January, a research institute said Tuesday.
The country has over 5.1 million people living with HIV/AIDS (news - web sites) and experts saying the number could quadruple by 2010.
SAO PAULO, Brazil (Reuters) - An experimental vaccine reduced the level of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, by at least 80 percent in a Brazilian study of 18 infected patients released in the journal Nature Medicine.
Viral loads in all patients fell and stayed low for one year after being inoculated with the vaccine three times in a six-week period, the study said. In eight of the patients, viral loads fell by more than 90 percent, according to the article posted on the journal's Web site (nature.com).
Therapeutic dendritic-cell vaccine for chronic HIV-1 infection. Nature [Epub ahead of print]
Author: Lu W
From: Nature medicine
Date: 2004
ISSN: 1078-8956
December 2004
The Merck Institute of Aging & Health (MIAH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) are releasing this report to assess the health status of the growing number of older Americans and to make recommendations to improve the mental and physical health of all Americans in their later years. This report is divided into six sections. Two sections offer report cards—one at the national level and one for individual states and the District of Columbia—that show whether older Americans are meeting specific health targets set in Healthy People 2000. The other four sections examine issues that are critical to improving our ability to meet these targets.
Application Receipt Date(s): February 1, 2005, June 1, 2005, October 1, 2005
The purpose of this initiative is to invite applications for research projects that will enhance understanding of human decision-making processes so that individuals can make more informed and satisfying choices regarding their health. The NCI encourages collaborations between basic judgment and decision-making researchers, and applied cancer control researchers that will elucidate single-event decision-making processes at the level of the individual patient or health care provider that are pertinent to cancer prevention, detection, treatment, survivorship, or end-of-life care. For the purpose of this initiative, a single-event decision is defined as a discrete decision made at a specific point in time. This PA will use the NIH exploratory/developmental (R21) award mechanism and the NIH investigator-initiated research project grants (R01) award mechanism. Because the nature and scope of the proposed research will vary from application to application, it is anticipated that the size and duration of each award will also vary. The total amount awarded and the number of awards will depend upon the mechanism numbers, quality, duration, and costs of the applications received.
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-05-017.html
To view all grants available through the Cancer Center, visit http://www.cancer.umn.edu/page/aboutus/grantopp.html
Application Receipt Date(s): February 1, 2005, June 1, 2005, October 1, 2005
The purpose of this initiative is to invite applications for research projects that will expand our knowledge of basic decision-making processes underlying initiation and long-term maintenance of healthy lifestyle behaviors that may reduce one's risk of cancer and other chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and addiction. The NCI, NIDA, and NIAAA encourage collaborations between basic judgment and decision-making researchers, and applied cancer control or addiction researchers that will elucidate the basic cognitive and affective processes involved in decisions that are made repeatedly over time, such as adhering to weight-loss programs or smoking cessation programs. This PA uses the NIH exploratory/developmental (R21) award mechanism and the NIH investigator-initiated research project grants (R01) award mechanism. Because the nature and scope of the proposed research will vary from application to application, it is anticipated that the size and duration of each award will also vary. The total amount awarded and the number of awards will depend upon the mechanism numbers, quality, duration, and costs of the applications received.
Nov 27, 2004 Washington
The world is suffering an acute shortage of doctors, nurses, and other health workers, according to a global group of health leaders. They say overburdened health workers on the front lines of survival are losing the fight against diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria.
A new report blames feeble national health systems for the rollback of spectacular gains made over the last century in human survival. The authors are with the Joint Learning Initiative, an independent network of more than 100 health leaders from institutions such as the World Health Organization, the World Bank, and universities and government public health agencies globally.
Thursday, November 25, 2004 Posted: 10:06 PM EST (0306 GMT)
BANGKOK, Thailand -- The World Health Organization has issued a dramatic warning that bird flu will trigger an international pandemic that could kill up to seven million people.
The influenza pandemic could occur anywhere from next week to the coming years, WHO said.
"There is no doubt there will be another pandemic," Klaus Stohr of the WHO Global Influenza Program said on the sidelines of a regional bird flu meeting in Bangkok, Thailand.
Sat Nov 27, 2004 10:40 AM ET
By Fayen Wong
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore, facing a rise in AIDS cases, is considering making it compulsory for pregnant women to be screened for HIV/AIDS, an official said on Saturday.
"If all mothers had been tested for HIV, and treatment started for HIV positive mothers, the risk of the baby having AIDS would be reduced from 25 percent to 2 percent," said Balaji Sadasivan, senior minister of state for health, at the fourth Singapore AIDS Conference.
Although Singapore has one of the lowest levels of HIV infection in Asia, the number of new infections hit a record high with 257 cases reported in the first 10 months of this year, more than the 242 new cases reported for all of 2003.
Chicago, November 25: A teenage girl has become the first known rabies victim to survive the disease without the benefit of a rabies vaccination, her doctors said.
Doctors at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin broke the news of the medical first on Wednesday, crediting an experimental treatment that they crafted when the sick teenager showed up at the hospital with an advanced case of the disease.
Jeanna Giese, 15, contracted the deadly virus when she was bitten by an infected bat at a church on September 12 and was admitted to hospital a month later, according to hospital officials.
THE GUARDIAN , LONDON
Thursday, Nov 25, 2004,Page 6
The AIDS pandemic rampaging around the globe will not be stopped without radical social change to improve the lot of women and girls, who now look likely to die in greater numbers than men, UN agencies said on Tuesday.
Infections among women are soaring, from sub-Saharan Africa to Asia to Russia. What began as a series of epidemics among men -- in some regions gay and bisexual men, in others men who frequented sex workers or male drug users -- has spread to their female partners who are biologically more easily infected.
New tests show initial screening was false alarm
WASHINGTON (AP) -- No sign of mad cow disease was found in an animal the Agriculture Department had singled out for followup tests, officials said Tuesday. Initial screenings last week had raised the possibility of a new case of the disease in the United States.
A more definitive test at the National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa, came back negative, the officials said. The announcement was a relief to the U.S. beef industry, which is still trying to recover from the nation's first case of the disease last December.
The department said it ran a "gold standard" test twice. Officials did not say where the cow came from or why it was suspected of being diseased.
"Negative results from both ... tests make us confident that the animal in question is indeed negative," the announcement said.
The initial screenings had produced what officials said were "inconclusive" results, but just the possibility of a second case had rattled cattle producers, meatpackers and hamburger chains.
DANIEL YEE
Wednesday, November 24, 2004 Posted: 5:24 PM EST (2224 GMT)
ATLANTA, Georgia (AP) -- The flu season in the United States is off to a slow start, with only Delaware and New York reporting significant outbreaks -- a relief to government health authorities, given the U.S. vaccine shortage.
Even so, the "widespread" flu activity in Delaware -- the first state to be classified at the nation's highest flu level -- is a little misleading. The state meets the designation because confirmed cases of the flu had been found in every county of that state.
By Karishma Vyas
BANGKOK (Reuters) - The bird flu virus that rampaged across much of Asia this year is the most likely cause of the next human flu pandemic, which could hit up to 30 percent of the world's people, a top international expert said Thursday.
There was no question about whether another influenza pandemic would sweep through the world's more than six billion people, only a question of when, Dr Klaus Stohr told a news conference.
"There are estimates that would put the number of deaths in the range between 2 and 7 million and the number of people affected will go beyond the billions as 25 to 30 per cent will fall ill," he said.
The Gerontological Society of America
Individuals aged 65 and older are unlikely to receive needed mental health treatment in the United States, according to a recent national study by researchers at Texas A&M University. Drawing upon data from the 2001 National Household Survey on Drug Use and Health, the researchers found that older adults were three times less likely than younger adults (individuals aged 18-64) to receive outpatient mental heath care. Only 2.5% of older adults throughout the nation reported utilizing any outpatient mental health treatment in the year prior to the survey, compared to seven percent of younger adults. Although older adults were found to have lower rates of mental illness than their younger counterparts, even those with serious mental illness (SMI) were highly unlikely to receive treatment. Only one in ten older adults with SMI received any outpatient mental health care, a rate substantially lower than that for younger adults.
Preliminary Application Die Date: March 1, 2005
Full Application Due Date: March 1, 2005
Proposal should be based on epidemiological, molecular, cellular or
integrated systems findings and be conceptually innovative. The
application should have a clear plan for the clinical exploitation of the
studies proposed. The application must indicate the applicant will apply
for a Translational Research Program grant through the Society’s standard
procedure, which, if awarded, may be used for the A4 program’s matching
requirements. Awards will be limited to a maximum of $200,000, which
include direct cost per year for three years. Budget requests should be
carefully justified and funding for two additional years may be available
from the Society. Requests for renewal of support require a competitive
renewal application and must include an TRB-approved clinical trial as the
centerpiece of the research plan.
Inquiries: Director of Research Administration, The Leukemia & Lymphoma
Society, 1311 Mamaroneck Ave., White Plains, NY 10605, phone 914-821-8859,
e-mailresearchprograms@tlls.org
To view all grants available through the Cancer Center, visit
http://www.cancer.umn.edu/page/aboutus/grantopp.html
Application Receipt Dates: Feb 1, 2005, June 1, 2005 and October 1, 2005
The Comprehensive Minority Biomedical Branch (CMBB), Office of Centers,
Training and Resources (OCTR), Office of the Deputy Director for Extramural
Sciences (ODDES), National Cancer Institute (NCI), invites transition
career development award applications from recipients of the NCI Mentored
Career Development Award for Underrepresented Minorities or from advanced
postdoctoral and/or newly independent research scientists representative of
groups underrepresented in biomedical, behavioral, clinical, or social
sciences. The purpose of the NCI Transition Career Development Award to
Promote Diversity (K22) is to provide "protected time" for recipients to
develop and receive support for their initial cancer research program. This
award is intended to facilitate the transition of underrepresented
postdoctoral research scientists from the mentored to the independent
stages of their careers in cancer research. The unique feature of this
award is that the individuals may apply without a sponsoring institution
while they are still in a mentored position.
Awards in response to this program announcement will be made through the
Transition Career Development Award (K22) mechanism for a total project
period not to exceed 3 years. Planning, direction, and execution of the
proposed training program will be the responsibilities of the applicant on
behalf of the applicant institution. Grants are not transferable from one
principal investigator to another and they are non-renewable.
This award will provide salary up to $75K annually plus fringe benefits and
up to $50K, direct costs, for research and development expenses. The total
salary requested must be based annually on a full-time, 12-month staff
appointment requiring the candidate to spend a minimum of 75 percent effort
conducting cancer research with the remaining effort being devoted to
activities related to the development of a successful research career.
Facilities and administrative costs will be reimbursed at 8 percent of
modified total direct costs. It is expected that 10 grants will be funded
per fiscal year. For more information visit
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-05-011.html
Letters Of Intent Receipt Date(s): January 14, 2005
Application Receipt Dates(s): February 11, 2005
This postdoctoral, institutional National Research Service Award (NRSA)
will support the establishment of innovative programs that provide formal
coursework and research training in a new interdisciplinary field to
individuals holding advanced degrees in a different discipline. These
training programs are required to include a behavioral or social science
discipline. The NIH is especially interested in training programs that
integrate the behavioral and/or social sciences with the more traditional
biomedical sciences. It is anticipated that approximately $800,000 in total
costs will be awarded. Three to five awards are anticipated. This RFA will
use the Ruth L. Kirschstein NRSA institutional research training grant
(T32) mechanism.
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-RM-05-010.html
Letters of Intent Receipt Date(s): April 11, 2005
Application Receipt Date(s): May 11, 2005
The objective of this RFA is to establish the Leadership of three to six
HIV/AIDS Clinical Trials Networks to carry out the NIAID research agenda in
the following areas: (1) Vaccine Research and Development; (2)
Translational Research/Drug Development; (3) Optimization of Clinical
Management, Including Co-Morbidities; (4) Microbicides; (5) Prevention of
Mother-to-Child Transmission (MTCT) of HIV; and (6) Prevention of HIV
Infection. NIAID and collaborating ICs anticipate awarding $150 million in
FY2006 to fund the Leadership of approximately three to six HIV/AIDS
Clinical Trials Networks. Networks are expected to vary substantially in
size and scope of activities. For this reason, the amount of first-year
awards is expected to vary; however, the range of awards is anticipated to
be from $10 million to $20 million direct costs for the three Network
Leadership components combined.
This funding opportunity will use the U01 award mechanism(s). As an
applicant, you will be solely responsible for planning, directing, and
executing the proposed project.
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-AI-05-001.html
Letters Of Intent Receipt Date: January 22, 2005
Application Receipt Dates: February 22, 2005
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) invites cooperative agreement
applications (U54) for the implementation of Comprehensive Minority
Institution/Cancer Center Partnerships between Minority-Serving
Institutions (MSIs) and NCI-designated Cancer Centers (or groups of
Centers). The purpose of this grant is to provide opportunities for
intensive collaborations among MSIs and the Cancer Centers in order to
develop stronger national cancer programs aimed at understanding the
reasons behind the significant cancer disparities and impact on minority
populations.
Since the War on Cancer was initiated in 1971, the disparities in cancer
incidence, morbidity, and mortality in underserved racial and ethnic
minority populations and among the socio-economically disadvantaged have
continued to rise. Clearly, more research is needed that specifically
addresses these and other disparities if they are to be eliminated by 2010
(President's Initiative on Race and Health Disparities). This initiative is
also in line with the priority recommendations for DHHS to lead the Nation
in eliminating cancer health disparities (Making Cancer Health Disparities
History).
This funding opportunity will use the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
cooperative agreement specialized center (U54) award mechanism. As an
applicant, you will be solely responsible for planning, directing, and
executing the proposed project. This RFA is a one-time solicitation. For
more information visit
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-CA-05-021.html
Receipt date: February 15, 2005
The Division of Cancer Biology (DCB) of the National Cancer Institute (NCI)
announces its intent to provide funds to supplement existing DCB-supported
research projects in FY05 to support and encourage scientific collaboration
among DCB grantees, as well as with other members of the scientific
community. This initiative, known as the Activities to Promote Research
Collaborations (APRC) program, can support collaborative activities that
bring together ideas and approaches from disparate scientific disciplines,
including those not currently supported by DCB. Examples of collaborative
activities include, but are not limited to, initiating new collaborative
research projects, sharing resources and reagents, developing novel
technologies, and organizing cross-disciplinary meetings/workshops. It is
essential, however, that proposed APRC activities be within the overall
scope of the active parent award and that the collaborative activity is new.
There are four areas of special scientific emphasis for FY05: (1)
structural biology; (2) integrative cancer biology; (3) tumor
microenvironment; and (4) mouse models. However, applications focused on
other cancer biology topics are will be accepted. For more information
visit
http://grant s.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-CA-05-005.html
The newly revised “Application for a DHHS Public Health Service Grant” (PHS
398, rev. 9/04) instructions and forms are now available and will be
accepted for submission/receipt dates on or after December 1, 2004. All
applications received on or after May 10, 2005 must use the new
instructions and forms. During the transition period, applications using
the previous version (rev. 5/01) of the PHS 398 will be accepted through
May 9, 2005. However, after this date, applications submitted using
instructions and forms other than the PHS 398 (rev 9/04) will be returned
to the applicant.
This edition of the PHS 398 has been extensively rewritten with a focus on
clarity and special emphasis on simplicity and plain language. For more
information visit
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-05-006.html
The Sallie Rosen Kaplan Fellowship is specifically designed to encourage
women scientists in cancer research to pursue advanced training at the
NCI. Successful applicants will be matched with an intramural NCI
investigator for a postdoctoral fellowship and are eligible to receive an
augmented stipend. The goal is to support the careers of women in
biomedical research. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent
residents. Completed applications are due Wednesday, December
15th.
Get flyers or access a brochure about the fellowship.
Apply online by going to NCI's StarCather Web site or contact M. Teresa
Estrada, Ph.D., Office of Workforce Development, NCI, 6116 Executive Blvd.,
Ste. 502, Bethesda, MD 20892-8342, 301-451-8826, 301-402-3509 FAX,
Friday, November 19, 2004 Posted: 9:47 AM EST (1447 GMT)
ATLANTA, Georgia (Reuters) -- An increasing number of American adults diagnosed with diabetes are obese, making it more likely they will suffer heart disease, vision damage and other health problems, U.S. officials said Thursday.
A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 54.8 percent of diabetics over the age of 19 were obese between 1999 and 2002. That compared with 45.7 percent in the same age group between 1988 and 1994.
Tuesday, November 23, 2004 Posted: 7:49 PM EST (0049 GMT)
LONDON, England (Reuters) -- Women make up nearly half of the 37.2 million adults living with HIV and in sub-Saharan Africa the proportion rises to almost 60 percent, according to a U.N. report released on Tuesday.
"Increasingly the face of AIDS is young and female," said Dr. Kathleen Cravero, deputy executive director of the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).
In every region of the globe, the number of women infected with the deadly virus has risen during the past two years. East Asia had the highest jump with 56 percent, followed by Eastern Europe and Central Asia with 48 percent.
Published: Wednesday 24 November 2004 - 08:30
In Short:
The number of people living with HIV has reached 39.4 million people worldwide - with high increases reported from EU's neighbouring Russia and Ukraine, according to an annual AIDS report.
Brief News:
The number of people living with HIV has reached its highest level ever, with approximately 39.4 million people infected all over the world, a UNAIDS / World Health Organisation (WHO) report has revealed. The highest increases in HIV infections in the last couple of years have been reported from East Asia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
According to the annual 'AIDS Epidemic Update', an increase in the number of infected individuals at the doorstep of the EU (in countries such as Ukraine and Russia) accounts for most of the 40 per cent increase in the Eastern European and Central Asian regions. The report claims that Russia has the worst epidemic in Europe, with 860,000 people living with HIV at the end of 2003.
Last Updated: 2004-11-18 16:16:30 -0400 (Reuters Health)
By Paul Simao
ATLANTA (Reuters) - An unexpectedly high number of U.S. soldiers injured in the Middle East and Afghanistan are testing positive for a rare, hard-to-treat blood infection in military hospitals, Army doctors reported on Thursday.
A total of 102 soldiers were found to be infected with the bacteria Acinetobacter baumannii. The infections occurred among soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany and three other sites between Jan. 1, 2002, and Aug. 31, 2004.
Announcement Type: New
Funding Opportunity Number: CE05-012
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 93.136
Key Dates:
Letter of Intent Deadline: December 6, 2004
Application Deadline: February 2, 2005
Posted on Fri, Nov. 19, 2004
U.S. reports possible new case of mad cow disease
By Johanna Neuman
Los Angeles Times
WASHINGTON - U.S. Department of Agriculture officials announced Thursday that they had discovered a possible new case of mad cow disease but cautioned that the preliminary positive test was "inconclusive."
Final results should be available from the USDA lab in four to seven days, officials said.
After the first U.S. case was discovered last December in a cow in Washington state, the USDA instituted a rapid-screening test on cows considered at risk for the disease older cattle, "downers" too ill to walk, cattle displaying symptoms of neurological ailments as well as on 20,000 healthy cows.
HONG KONG, Nov. 20 (Xinhuanet) -- The staff of the Hong Kong Center for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health hasperformed contact tracing on over 300 healthcare workers, their home contacts, visitors and patients discharged from the pediatrics wards of the Caritas Medical Center (CMC).
Among those contacts who reported fever and respiratory symptoms, two were health care workers who have now recovered, and four were discharged patients from the pediatrics ward.
BALTIMORE (November 20, 2004) —
A potential new case of mad cow disease has been found in the U.S. – but tests so far are inconclusive, said U.S. agriculture officials.
A preliminary screening test for mad cow disease will be confirmed in 4-7 days, and few additional details will be released until then.
Despite the public message from agriculture officials that this shouldn't cause alarm, the news has already economically rattled the cattle industry, meat companies and hamburger restaurant chains. Thursday's announcement about the inconclusive test sent cattle prices tumbling. Shares of McDonald's, Wendy's, and other restaurant chains slumped, as did those of U.S. meat producers such as Tyson Foods.
By Dorsey Griffith and Lesli A. Maxwell -- Bee Staff Writers
Published 2:15 am PST Saturday, November 20, 2004
Calls for changing the way the government monitors drug safety erupted Friday, as consumer advocates and worried patients zeroed in on testimony that five federally approved medicines posed significant health risks.
The allegations, made public in Washington on Thursday, sparked a spirited rebuttal by the Food and Drug Administration, which sought to defend itself against claims by one of its own that the agency fails to protect consumers.
Sat Nov 20, 2004 09:33 AM ET
By Toni Clarke and Bill Berkrot
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The recent Vioxx withdrawal and testimony from an FDA insider accusing the agency of failing to protect public health are fueling such heightened concern over drug safety that valuable medicines could be kept from patients, doctors said on Friday.
In a congressional hearing to investigate the recall of Merck & Co. Inc.'s arthritis drug Vioxx, a senior Food and Drug Administration safety official on Thursday accused the agency of being "incapable of protecting America."
Cites complex and distracting work environment
PHILADELPHIA – A University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing study provides the first detailed description of the nature and prevalence of errors by hospital staff nurses. During a 28-day period, 393 registered nurses kept a detailed journal of their errors and prevented errors, referred to as near-errors. Thirty percent of the nurses reported at least one error during the 28-day period, and 33 percent reported a near-error. Although the majority of errors and near-errors were medication-related, the nurses also reported a number of procedural, transcription and charting errors.
"Given the prevalence of other types of errors, an exclusive focus on medication administration errors, often a typical practice, may miss many important and potentially hazardous situations," said Ann E. Rogers, an associate professor in Penn's School of Nursing.
FOR RELEASE: Nov. 19, 2004
Contact: Susan S. Lang
Office: 607-255-3613
E-Mail: SSL4@cornell.edu
ITHACA, N.Y. -- What's the best way to get a statistically reliable sample of people who are hard to identify, such as illegal-drug users in large cities, itinerant jazz musicians, aging Manhattan artists and semi-professional storytellers?
Answer: Use a new "pyramid" sampling method developed by a Cornell University sociologist. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will use the method to recruit injection drug users (IDUs) and measure their HIV-risk behavior in the 25 U.S. cities with the largest number of AIDS cases.
By: E. EDUARDO CASTILLO - Associated Press
MEXICO CITY -- African countries are facing a health crisis because they lack enough medical personnel to attend to the sick, a top international health official told a summit of government ministers and researchers Thursday.
Tim Evans, the World Health Organization's assistant director-general, said Africa only has 0.8 health workers for every 1,000 people, way below the minimum of 2.5 health workers needed to "provide essential health care."
Developed countries have between 10 and 15 health employees for every 1,000 people, while Latin America, Eastern Europe and parts of Asia have between 2.5 and four workers.
"That gives some sense of the magnitude of the crisis," he said.
Ministers and experts meeting this week in Mexico were trying to find ways to increase the number of doctors and nurses in Africa.
Evans said the dearth of personnel can result in a lack of basic care and deaths that could have been prevented.
The few health workers in Africa are at risk of being recruited to developed nations, some of which also have their own health worker shortages.
Fri Nov 19, 2004 08:26 AM ET
LONDON (Reuters) - A low-cost antibiotic which has performed well in tests should be given to all HIV children in developing countries to prevent infections such as pneumonia and reduce deaths, scientists said on Friday.
Dr. Diana Gibb of Britain's Medical Research Council said a trial involving HIV-infected children in Zambia was stopped early because it was so successful.
A daily dose of the drug co-trimoxazole nearly halved the death rate in youngsters taking it compared to those given a placebo.
WASHINGTON (AP) _ Consumer and cattle-industry groups joined the government in cautioning against public alarm as federal scientists investigate a possible new case of mad cow disease.
The Agriculture Department said Thursday that additional checks were needed after an initial screening proved inconclusive for the disease in a single animal. Results will be known in four days to seven days.
The announcement raised fears that the United States might have its second case of the fatal brain-wasting disease and rattled the cattle industry, meat companies and hamburger restaurant chains.
Mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy, attacks an animal's nervous system. People who eat food contaminated with BSE can contract a rare disease that is nearly always fatal _ variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
BY MICHAEL O BOYLE/The Herald Mexico
El Universal
Jueves 18 de noviembre de 2004
Nuestro mundo, página 1
While spending on health has tripled over the last 20 years, poor countries are not reaping the benefits, experts warn.
Poorly managed health systems and the lack of skilled professionals are undercutting international efforts to fund better health care in developing nations, a top health official said Wednesday.
"We need to wake up to these problems," said World Health Organization (WHO)Assistant Director General Tim Evans in an interview on the sidelines of an international conference in Mexico City. "Health systems are a binding constraint on progress."
Dozens of health ministers, officials from 55 countries and hundreds of researches and representatives of aid organizations are gathered here through Saturday for two parallel conferences on improving health research.
Evans said it was the first time ministers had gathered expressly to discuss health research at a summit.
By Jan Blackburn
Contributing Writer
Since the flu is a dangerous but easily preventable disease, it should receive much more attention from the public health community, Dr. Stephen Morse told an engaged crowd in the Aidekman Center for the Performing Arts last night.
"Influenza is one of the most common and transmissible infections," Morse said. In a normal year for the flu, thousands of people die from a disease "preventable with a vaccine," he said.
Morse is the principal investigator and director of the Columbia University's Center for Public Health Preparedness (CPHP), a branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) established in October of 2000.
From the UK
This White Paper sets out the key principles for supporting the public to make more healthier and informed choices in regards to their health. The Government will provide information and practical support to get people motivated and improve emotional wellbeing and access to services so that healthy choices are easier to make.
UK Department of Health
GPHIN II collects and disseminates alerts in seven languages
OTTAWA/NEW YORK -- The newest version of the Global Public Health Intelligence Network (GPHIN II) was jointly launched today by the Government of Canada and the Washington-based Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI). This unique "early warning" system gathers and disseminates preliminary reports of public health significance on a real-time, 24/7 basis in seven languages.
The secure, web-based system was developed by Canadian health officials with important support and financial assistance from NTI, an organization devoted to reducing global threats from nuclear, biological and chemical weapons, co-chaired by philanthropist Ted Turner and former United States Senator Sam Nunn.
Tue Nov 16, 2004 11:18 PM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. government researchers launched the biggest-ever study of children on Tuesday, saying they will track 100,000 children from birth through age 21 to see what makes kids sick.
The study, being launched at 96 centers, will follow the children as they grow up, looking at their environments, behavior, family and genetics.
"Together the children from these 96 locations will represent the face of all of America's children," the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, which is sponsoring the study, said in a statement.
Study Examined Ozone Levels in 95 U.S. Cities
Changes in ground-level ozone were significantly associated with an increase in deaths in many U.S. cities, according to a nationwide study conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. The risk of death was similar for adults of all ages and slightly higher for people with respiratory or cardiovascular problems. The increase in deaths occurred at ozone levels below the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) clean air standards. The study appears in the November 17, 2004, edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA.)
John Hopkins: Public Health Newsletter
Ozone and Short-term Mortality in 95 US Urban Communities, 1987-2000
Michelle L. Bell, PhD; Aidan McDermott, PhD; Scott L. Zeger, PhD; Jonathan M. Samet, MD; Francesca Dominici, PhD
JAMA. 2004;292:2372-2378.
Context Ozone has been associated with various adverse health effects, including increased rates of hospital admissions and exacerbation of respiratory illnesses. Although numerous time-series studies have estimated associations between day-to-day variation in ozone levels and mortality counts, results have been inconclusive.
Tuesday, November 16, 2004 Posted: 4:00 PM EST (2100 GMT)
CHICAGO, Illinois (Reuters) -- Increases in air pollution caused by cars, power plants and industry can be directly linked to higher death rates in U.S. cities, a study said Tuesday.
Reducing such ozone pollution by about 35 percent on any given day could save about 4,000 lives a year across the country, researchers at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies said.
The conclusion came from a look at 95 urban areas where about 40 percent of the U.S. population lives, comparing spikes in ozone pollution there with death rates from 1987 to 2000.
Tuesday, November 16, 2004 · Last updated 9:42 p.m. PT
By LAURA MECKLER
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
WASHINGTON -- A senator suggested Tuesday that money federal health officials have sought to upgrade flu vaccine production is on the way - an effort to avoid another year like this one, when the United States lost nearly half its supply of vaccine.
The current system for producing flu vaccine relies on millions of chicken eggs, which are used to incubate the viruses needed to create the vaccine. Many scientists believe the system could be improved by brewing vaccines in human and monkey cells instead.
The Health and Human Services Department has requested $100 million to speed this transition. This year, it got $50 million.
Tue 16 November, 2004 22:30
By Lorraine Orlandi
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Global health leaders meeting in Mexico this week want nations of the world to spend more on medical research, not only to develop new cures but to make those now on the market available to the poor.
Existing tools as simple as mosquito nets can cut deep into massive health problems such as malaria in developing nations, but research is needed to find ways to best use them, organizers of a summit for health research said at the start of the four-day event in Mexico City on Tuesday.
By Alfons Chan (China Daily)
Updated: 2004-11-17 00:53
Medical experts in Hong Kong are puzzled by a mystery illness affecting children.
Doctors at the Caritas Medical Centre in Kowloon say two of 30 admitted patients have signs of respiratory tract infection while six of were suffering from fever.
"Infection-control measures have been stepped up at the hospital, and medical staff at laboratories in the Centre for Health Protection, local universities and the Department of Health are conducting tests to identify the source of the virus," said Hospital Authority Chief Executive William Ho, who visited the patients yesterday.
Tuesday, November 16, 2004 Posted: 9:25 AM EST (1425 GMT)
LONDON, England -- England could become the latest country to ban smoking in public places, including restaurants and most pubs and bars, under a government proposal.
The ban would be phased in gradually, starting with government offices by 2006, if it is approved by lawmakers, Health Secretary John Reid told parliament Tuesday.
"All government departments will be smoke-free," Reid said. "All enclosed public places and workplaces ... will be smoke free. All restaurants will be smoke free. All pubs and bars preparing and serving food will be smoke free."
Last Updated: 2004-11-15 16:20:34 -0400 (Reuters Health)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Researchers who found a genetic pattern that predicts who will be helped by a revolutionary new lung cancer drug said on Monday they were looking for patients to help them confirm their findings.
The team at Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center in Boston needs to find patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer to see if DNA patterns indeed show who will be helped by the drug, called Iressa.
Last Updated: 2004-11-15 8:40:32 -0400 (Reuters Health)
By Lindsay Beck
BEIJING (Reuters) - SARS is expected to emerge in China again this winter, but an epidemic is unlikely as the world's most populous country is better prepared this time round, health officials say.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome emerged in China in 2002, when the communist country was accused of covering up the extent of the virus, contributing to its eventual spread to 8,000 people around the world, 800 of whom died.
"We wouldn't be surprised to see the resurgence of a small number of cases," said Julie Hall, who heads the World Health Organization's SARS team in Beijing.
OTTAWA -- Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh and Minister of State (Public Health) Dr. Carolyn Bennett will join Dr. David Butler-Jones, Chief Public Health Officer of Canada, former U.S. Senator Sam Nunn and philanthropist Ted Turner, co-chairs of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, as well as the World Health Organization's Dr. Stephen Corber in launching the enhanced Global Public Health Intelligence Network (GPHIN II). GPHIN II is a unique, secure Internet-based "early warning" system developed by Canadian health officials to gather and disseminate preliminary reports of public health significance (i.e., bioterrorism such as anthrax, infectious diseases such as avian flu, SARS) on a 24/7 basis.
Announcement link : Government of Canada
WHO board supports genetic engineering experiments
Friday, November 12, 2004 Posted: 9:49 AM EST (1449 GMT)
An influential World Health Organization committee is sending shock waves through the scientific community with its recommendation that researchers be permitted to conduct genetic-engineering experiments with the smallpox virus.
The idea is to be able to better combat a disease that is considered a leading bioterror threat though it was publicly eradicated 25 years ago.
Article from CNN Health
WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 8, 2004--
Minnesota, New Hampshire and Vermont Hold Top Three Positions as Nation's Healthiest States, Southeastern States Experience Targeted Success but Continue to Face Challenges
United Health Foundation, together with the American Public Health Association (APHA) and Partnership for Prevention, today released the 15th annual America's Health: State Health Rankings at the APHA's Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.
This year's report reveals a 17.5 percent improvement in America's overall health during the past 15 years. However, the report also shows that the rate of improvement is slowing significantly due to a combination of personal, community and public health issues. During the 1990s, health in the United States improved by an annual rate of 1.5 percent each year. However, during the 2000s, health in the United States has improved by an annual rate of only 0.2 percent each year - 1/8 the rate experienced during the 1990s.
Article from Businesswire
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences is undertaking a $3 million, three-year effort to see how specific genes might contribute to environmentally-related disease. NIEHS will develop a new RNAi library to help fight disease through its National Center for Toxicogenomics. RNAi, or RNA interference, is a new technology which silences specific genes.
RNAi technology "turns off" specific genes so scientists can learn more about how the genes influence the cell. Knowing how a gene responds to a stress allows scientists to gain a more comprehensive understanding of how chemicals and toxins can undermine our health.
Fri Nov 12,10:26 AM ET Health - Reuters
By Mike Peacock
LONDON (Reuters) - The British government will launch a long-awaited policy paper on public health next week with plans to curb public smoking, tackle obesity and address the way food companies target children through advertising.
A government official said the Public Health White Paper would be published on Tuesday, following hard on the heels of a decision by the Scottish parliament to ban smoking in public buildings from 2006.
Articlel from Health Reuters
11 November 2004 – With more than 22 million children under the age of five either obese or overweight, the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) today warned that they risk developing diabetes and must be helped.
Excess weight can also lead to heart disease, cancer and stroke, WHO warned in a press release issued jointly with the International Diabetes Federation (IDF).
"Tracking childhood obesity now is a highly effective way of preventing diabetes in the future," said Dr. Catherine Le Gales-Camus, WHO Assistant Director-General for Non-Communicable Diseases and Mental Health, in the lead up to World Diabetes Day, marked on 14 November.
Article form UN News Centre
Thursday, November 11, 2004 - Page A11
Toronto -- Canada's public-health agency wants to commission the country's major flu vaccine maker to produce trial batches of a vaccine to protect against the lethal avian strain -- known as H5N1 -- that experts fear may provoke the next flu pandemic.
Article from the Globe and Mail.com
By MARC LALLANILLA
Nov. 9, 2004 — Like many young athletes, 12-year-old Nicholas Johnson spent last autumn playing football with his local team, the Stafford Spartans from Stafford, Texas. A minor shoulder injury sent him to the doctor.
"He was like a stroke victim when he came out of the hospital," said Nicholas' mother, Janet. "He was on a ventilator for 12 days. It was the scariest thing I ever went through."
Nicholas was felled by a deadly new bacterium named MRSA that is sweeping the United States and Europe.
And medical experts are alarmed that MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, is just one of several deadly new strains of bacteria that are becoming resistant to modern antibiotics.
Article from ABC News Health
08 Nov 2004
Public health officials are "more alarmed than they have signaled publicly" that the United States remains "woefully unprepared" for a bioterrorist attack, the Washington Post reports.
Officials have raised concerns because most U.S. hospitals and state and local public health agencies "would be completely overwhelmed trying to carry out mass vaccinations" or distribute antidotes in response to a large bioterrorist attack, and most facilities lack the "surge capacity" required to treat "a huge influx of very sick people," according to the Post. In addition, officials maintain that shared jurisdiction among federal agencies involved with bioterrorism response -- such as the Department of Homeland Security and HHS -- "leads to confusion inside and outside" of the federal government, the Post reports. Practice scenarios -- such as a failed May 2003 exercise in Chicago in which hospitals had three days to respond to a fictitious outbreak of the plague -- also have revealed that "more work is required" to plan how the federal government should communicate with the public after a bioterrorist attack and "manage the potential flight of perhaps millions of people" from cities, according to the Post. In addition, officials have raised concerns about the lack of new bioterrorism vaccines and medication in development at pharmaceutical companies or NIH and the lack of technology to detect bioterrorist attacks (Mintz/Warrick, Washington Post, 11/8).
Article from Medical News Today
Improvement slowing, though, and could stall, survey says
By Michael Coren
Monday, November 8, 2004 Posted: 12:03 PM EST (1703 GMT)
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- The average resident of Minnesota stands a better chance of avoiding smoking, car accidents and obesity than a friend living 900 miles to the south in Tennessee.
That is among the findings of a study released on Monday by the United Health Foundation, which has been tracking the nation's health for the past 15 years.
The nationwide study found plenty to cheer about -- Americans are getting healthier and smoking is on the decline -- but improvements are slowing and could stall completely if trends continue.
Article from CNN.com
BY DELTHIA RICKS
STAFF WRITER
November 8, 2004
When public health officials and vaccine manufacturers convene in Geneva Thursday, they'll keep an eye on the past as they try to anticipate the future.
Their goal: To plan for the eventuality of a worldwide flu pandemic -- a global outbreak on the scale of the deadly Spanish flu of 1918. It is an issue considered urgent because of the persistent presence of bird influenza in Asia.
Article from Newsday.com
Monday, November 08, 2004 - Page updated at 12:00 A.M.
By Reuters and The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — The U.S. influenza season is starting slowly, but it is still too early to tell how severe the outbreak will be as the nation faces a vaccine shortage, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said yesterday.
Article from The Seattle Times
LETTER OF INTENT RECEIPT DATE: January 18, 2005
APPLICATION RECEIPT DATE: February 15, 2005
The National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) (hereafter "the Government" or "the Participating Agencies") invite applications for the establishment of "International Cooperative Biodiversity Groups" (ICBG) to address the interdependent issues of biodiversity conservation, economic capacity, and human health through discovery and development of therapeutic agents for diseases of importance in developing countries, as well as those important to developed countries. Eligibility for this competition is limited to groups that are currently funded by ICBG R21 planning grant awards issued in 2003. The overall goals of the ICBG Program are drug discovery, biodiversity conservation, and economic development.
This RFA will use the NIH U01 award mechanism (Cooperative Agreement) and will support awards of up to $600,000 per year in direct costs for up to four years to carry out the full spectrum of ICBG research and development activities in this RFA.
For more information go to http://grants2.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-TW-04-004.html
To view all grants available through the Cancer Center, visit http://www.cancer.umn.edu/page/aboutus/grantopp.html
Application Receipt Dates(s): February 1, June 1, October 1
The purposes of this Program Announcement (PA) are: (1) to improve the measurement of racial /ethnic discrimination in health care delivery systems through improved instrumentation, data collection and statistical/analytical techniques; (2) to enhance understanding of the influence of racial/ethnic discrimination in health care delivery and its association with disparities in disease incidence, treatment and outcomes among disadvantaged racial/ethnic minority groups; and (3) to reduce the prevalence of racial/ethnic health disparities through the development of interventions to reduce the influence of racial/ethnic discrimination on health care delivery systems in the United States. This funding opportunity will use the NIH Research Project Grant (R01), the Exploratory/Development (R21) and the Small Grant (R03) award mechanisms.
For more information go to http://grants2.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-05-006.html
Application Receipt Dates(s): February 1, June 1, October 1
The ultimate goal of this program announcement is to build a body of science in symptom cluster identification and intervention in cancer and in immune disorders (acquired or autoimmune). This announcement invites applications to (a) identify and assess biobehavioral characteristics of symptom clusters; or (b) design and test interventions that lead to clear outcomes. A rationale for the choice of a symptom cluster is needed, not just co-occurrence of two or more symptoms. Studies at any point in the disease trajectory, or during the survivorship period are encouraged. The type of mechanism is the Research (R01) Award or the Exploratory/Developmental Research (R21) Award.
For more information go to http://grants2.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-05-004.html
We need your opinions and expertise
Last fall, more than 30 Cancer Center members participated in Minnesota's first CancerPlan Summit. During the past year, about a dozen Cancer Center members helped draft Minnesota's first comprehensive cancer control plan.
Now you have an opportunity to weigh in on this important initiative and support the contributions of your colleagues. We ask that you attend the second annual Summit , set for Nov. 16. The draft plan will be presented for discussion. Your comments will help shape the final plan that beginning next year will integrate and coordinate Minnesota 's approach to the entire spectrum of cancer control, including prevention, early detection, treatment, survivorship and palliation.
• The Summit will be held 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Nov. 16, at the Radisson Riverfront Hotel in St. Paul
• Registration is $35 per person and covers conference materials, continental breakfast, lunch and reception. The Cancer Center will reimburse the registration fee for cancer center members. Registration deadline is Oct. 31, so please register as soon as you can.
For more information about the CancerPlan Minnesota initiative and to register for the Summit , visit www.cancerplanmn.org. Or contact DeAnn Lazovich, Ph.D. (6-9099; lazov001@umn.edu) or Marva Bohen (4-2620; bohen001@umn.edu).
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has awarded 14 contracts totaling more than $73 million to fund the Large-Scale Antibody and T Cell Epitope Discovery Program, an initiative aimed at quickly identifying the regions of selected infectious agents that elicit immune reactions. The study of these regions, known as epitopes, promises to uncover targets for new and improved vaccines, therapies and diagnostic tools against potential bioterror agents as well as emerging/re-emerging infectious diseases such as West Nile virus and influenza. NIAID will make information on each newly identified epitope freely available to scientists through a searchable online database currently under development.
"Elucidating the basic mechanisms of immune function is a major focus of our biodefense research agenda," says Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., director of NIAID. "The information generated by this program will deepen our understanding of how components of the immune system defend against certain infectious agents, enabling researchers to design new and improved medical countermeasures."
Article from EurekAlert
Leading experts address need to reduce risk to global blood supply
East Hills, NY (Oct.26, 2004) - - There is increasing evidence that infectious prions that can cause variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD), the human form of "mad cow" disease, can be transmitted through blood transfusion, according to Roger Eglin, Ph.D., Head of National Transfusion Microbiology Laboratories for the English National Blood Service. He spoke at a symposium on Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSEs) where he was joined by prominent government, public health and blood safety experts from around the globe, including the U.S. and Canada, who raised concerns about a second wave of the disease brought about by human-to-human transmission via blood transfusions.
The panelists convened to discuss the adequacy of safeguards and precautionary measures to prevent human-to-human transmission of this fatal, neurodegenerative prion disease at a symposium held last night at the annual AABB blood banking conference in Baltimore, Maryland. The symposium was sponsored by Pall Corporation (NYSE: PLL), the global leader in filtration technology.
Article from EurekAlert