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Obama Declares Swine Flu a National Emergency

He is clearing the way for legal waivers to allow hospitals and doctors offices to better handle a surge of new patients.

» Rx Blog [ Contribute: submit link / submit article ]

Swine Flu Shots Revive a Debate About Vaccines

People who do not believe in vaccinating children have never had much sway over Leslie Wygant Arndt. She has studied the vaccine debate, she said, and came out in favor of having her 10-month-old daughter inoculated against childhood diseases. But there is something different about the vaccine for the H1N1 flu, she said.

Swine Flu (H1N1 Virus)“I have looked at the people who are against it, and I find myself taking their side,” said Ms. Wygant Arndt, who lives in Portland, Ore. “But then again I go back and forth on this every day. It’s an emotional topic.”

» NY Times [ Contribute: submit link / submit article ]

Skin cancer can be inherited: studies

Want to reduce your risk of skin cancer? Wear sun screen, of course. But two new studies suggest that choosing your relatives carefully could also be helpful.

One found that having an identical twin with melanoma increased a person's own risk of developing the disease much more than having a fraternal twin with this type of skin cancer. The other found that having a sibling or parent with one of several different types of non-melanoma skin cancer increased risk as well.

Several studies have suggested melanoma and other skin cancers run in families, but it can be difficult to tease out the difference between the influence of genes and environment. In the Australian study, Dr. Sri N. Shekar of the University of Queensland in Brisbane and his colleagues attempted to do so by looking at twin pairs in which at least one sibling had been diagnosed with melanoma.

» Reuters [ Contribute: submit link / submit article ]

Swine flu is present 'in virtually the entire country,' CDC expert says

Pandemic H1N1 influenza "is here . . . in virtually the entire country," Dr. Anne Schuchat of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. Swine flu is widespread in 37 states now, up from 27 states last week, she said.

The figures suggest that a leveling-off observed last week was an aberration. Some reports have suggested that certain places hit particularly hard in the spring, such as New York City, might not suffer as severely this winter. The CDC has been looking at 50 such locations, and many are seeing significant increases in flu activity now.

» LA Times / CDC [ Contribute: submit link / submit article ]

Cancer Spreading Gene Discovered

Scientists have pinpointed a gene linked to more than half of all breast cancers. The gene, NRG1 (neuregulin-1), is also thought to play a role in many bowel, prostate, ovarian and bladder tumours. The University of Cambridge team said the breakthrough should provide "vital information" about how cancer spreads.

» BBC [ Contribute: submit link / submit article ]

3 U.S. scientists share Nobel Prize in medicine

Three U.S. scientists who discovered key aspects of how cells and animals age and how cancer cells become immortal will share the 2009 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine.

Elizabeth Blackburn of UC San Francisco, Carol W. Greider of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Jack W. Szostak of Harvard Medical School share the $1.4-million award for their discovery of telomeres, small sections of DNA that protect the integrity of cellular DNA as animals and most other organisms age. They also discovered telomerase, the enzyme that manufactures telomeres and gives cancer cells their eternal life.

» LA Times [ Contribute: submit link / submit article ]

Swiss Health Care Thrives Without Public Option

Like every other country in Europe, Switzerland guarantees health care for all its citizens. But the system here does not remotely resemble the model of bureaucratic, socialized medicine often cited by opponents of universal coverage in the United States.

Swiss private insurers are required to offer coverage to all citizens, regardless of age or medical history. And those people, in turn, are obligated to buy health insurance.

» NY Times [ Contribute: submit link / submit article ]

Swine flu appears unusually deadly for pregnant women

One hundred expectant mothers infected with the pandemic H1N1 influenza were hospitalized in intensive care units in the first four months of the outbreak, and 28 have died, federal officials say.

In a reminder that the new strain of H1N1 influenza may be more dangerous than originally thought, federal health officials reported Thursday that 100 pregnant women infected with the virus were hospitalized in intensive care units in the first four months of the outbreak, and 28 have died.

"What we are seeing is quite striking," said Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of the National Center on Immunization and Respiratory Disease at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. She is helping direct the government's response to the pandemic.

» LA Times [ Contribute: submit link / submit article ]

Sanofi-Aventis Study: HIV Vaccine Shows Promise for First Time

An experimental vaccine prevented HIV infections for the first time, a breakthrough that has eluded scientists for a quarter century.

A U.S.-funded study involving more than 16,000 volunteers in Thailand found that a combination of ALVAC, made by Paris- based Sanofi-Aventis SA, and AIDSVAX, from VaxGen Inc., of South San Francisco, cut infections by 31.2 percent in the people who received it compared with those on a placebo, scientists said today in Bangkok. Neither vaccine had stopped the virus that causes AIDS when tested separately in previous studies.

[ PDF ] Sanofi-Aventis Press Release

Ice cream may target the brain before your hips

Blame your brain for sabotaging your efforts to get back on track after splurging on an extra scoop of ice cream or that second burger during Friday night’s football game.

Findings from a new UT Southwestern Medical Center study suggest that fat from certain foods we eat makes its way to the brain. Once there, the fat molecules cause the brain to send messages to the body’s cells, warning them to ignore the appetite-suppressing signals from leptin and insulin, hormones involved in weight regulation.

“What we’ve shown in this study is that someone’s entire brain chemistry can change in a very short period of time. Our findings suggest that when you eat something high in fat, your brain gets ‘hit’ with the fatty acids, and you become resistant to insulin and leptin,” Dr. Clegg said. “Since you’re not being told by the brain to stop eating, you overeat.”

» Southwestern Medical Center [ Contribute: submit link / submit article ]

Cornell Student Dies of H1N1 Swine Flu

It is with deepest sadness and regret that I inform you of the loss of one of our students today at Cayuga Medical Center. Warren J. Schor, 20, died of complications related to H1N1 influenza. The university has been in close contact with Warren's family, and we wish to convey our heartfelt condolences to them and to his many friends. Please keep them in your thoughts in the following days.

More than 500 students have come down with flu-like symptoms in recent week, university health officials said.

» Cornell [ Contribute: submit link / submit article ]

Swine flu (H1N1) hit estimated 10 percent of New Yorkers

The new H1N1 swine flu is estimated to have infected about 800,000 people in New York City in the spring, a top U.S. health official said on Sunday, citing a study due to be released later this week.

Dr. Thomas Frieden, who heads the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said surveys suggested the virus was widely spread around the city. Frieden was New York City's health commissioner before taking the top CDC job in June.

"In New York City where we had a lot of H1N1 this last spring the estimate is about 800,000 people, about 10 percent of New York City residents, got infected with the flu," Frieden said in an interview with C-SPAN television aired on Sunday.

"That's a lot of people."

» Reuters [ Contribute: submit link / submit article ]

Gene therapy for the unborn

Successful trials raise hopes for end to inherited human disorders. Scientists are on the verge of ridding inherited diseases from future generations with a new technique for swapping genes between unfertilised human eggs before the resulting IVF embryos are implanted into the womb.

The technique has been successfully tested on laboratory monkeys and researchers believe it is now safe enough to apply for clinical trials on the many thousands of women at risk of giving birth to babies with some of the most debilitating inherited disorders.

Such a procedure would break new ground and raise fresh ethical concerns over the direction of IVF research because it would lead to permanent changes to the genetic make-up of children that would be passed on to subsequent generations of the same families.

» The Independent UK [ Contribute: submit link / submit article ]

Obama Panel Warns Swine Flu May Kill 30,000 to 90,000 People

Swine flu, also known as H1N1, may infect as much as half of the population and kill 30,000 to 90,000 people, double the deaths caused by the typical seasonal flu, according to the planning scenario issued yesterday by the President’s Council of Advisers on Science and Technology. Intensive care units in hospitals, some of which use 80 percent of their space in normal operation, may need every bed for flu cases, the report said.

“This is a planning scenario, not a prediction,” according to the report. “But the scenario illustrates that an H1N1 resurgence could cause serious disruption of social and medical capacities in our country in the coming months.”

» President’s Council of Advisers on Science and Technology [ Contribute: submit link / submit article ]

Swine Flu Pandemic Paradox Kills Few, Overwhelms ICUs

“We have run out of bed space, we have run out of nurses,” Shaw, 47, said after working in the ICU and being on- call for 185 hours over 11 days. “There will be people who die because they were denied access to other treatments.”

Health officials call it the swine flu paradox. As the new H1N1 strain spreads, the majority of patients recover within days and the number of deaths is a fraction of the seasonal flu toll. Those statistics mask an alarming reality: the pandemic has strained intensive care units and a resurgence of the virus in the fall could bring a public health disaster, experts say.

» Bloomberg [ Contribute: submit link / submit article ]

Any Nation As Rich As Ours Ought To Guarantee Health Coverage For All Of Its Residents

One of the major goals of health care reform is to cover the vast numbers of uninsured. But how vast, really, is that pool of people? Who are they? And how important is it to cover all or most of them?

» NY Times [ Contribute: submit link / submit article ]

US To Launch Massive Swine Flu Vaccination Campaign

The campaign aims to vaccinate at least half the country's population within months. Although more people have been inoculated against diseases such as smallpox and polio over a period of years, the United States has never tried to immunize so many so quickly.

As schools reopen, the number of cases could jump sharply within weeks, sparking a second wave potentially far larger than the outbreak last spring. Although the swine flu appears no more dangerous than the typical seasonal flu, the new virus -- known as H1N1 -- is likely to infect many more people because most have no immunity against it.

» Washington Post [ Contribute: submit link / submit article ]

Health Care Reformers Should View Grand Junction, CO As Model

The small Colorado city runs a system that experts hope the nation can learn from. The innovative approach started with a nonprofit HMO that offers some free services and promotes preventive care.

» LA Times [ Contribute: submit link / submit article ]

New Screening Could Lead to More Potent Cancer Drugs

A team at the Broad Institute, a Harvard-M.I.T. collaborative for genomics research, has devised a way of screening for drugs that attack cancer stem cells but leave ordinary cells unharmed.

» NY Times [ Contribute: submit link / submit article ]

Drug Compound That Kills Cancer Stem Cells Identified

A drug that can selectively target and kill the stem cells that drive the growth of tumors has been identified for the first time by scientists who searched more than 16,000 compounds to find it.

Researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Broad Institute looked for compounds that could destroy the stem cells, which often resist conventional cancer treatment. One, salinomycin, cut the number of stem cells at least 100 times more than did Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.’s Taxol, a common chemotherapy medicine, according to a report on the findings published today in the journal Cell.

» Bloomberg [ Contribute: submit link / submit article ]

Massachusetts takes extra steps to battle flu in fall

Dentists, paramedics, and pharmacists to help administer vaccines against both the seasonal flu and the novel swine strain

The actions illustrated the intensifying sense of urgency as health authorities, hospital administrators, and clinic executives across the nation confront the prospect of providing hundreds of millions of doses of vaccine against not one but two deadly types of flu in the same season.

» boston.com [ Contribute: submit link / submit article ]

Autism Rate Now at One Percent of All US Children?

A pair of federally funded studies on autism rates is about to make news -- big news -- and it isn't good: It would appear that somewhere around one percent of all US children currently have an autism spectrum disorder. The rate is even higher among six to 11 year olds and among boys, according to data from at least one of the new studies.

If you are an expectant parent, or planning to have a child soon, you might want to sit down before absorbing these staggering statistics, recently released by the National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH), which is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the US Department of Health and Human Services.

» Huffington Post [ Contribute: submit link / submit article ]

Seeking Lessons in Swine Flu Fight

As the three-month-old outbreak of swine flu raises havoc during the winter season in the Southern Hemisphere, officials in the United States are carefully seeking clues from there to deal with its likely return in this country in the fall, before a vaccine can protect large numbers of people.

» NY Times [ Contribute: submit link / submit article ]

'Evil and Orwellian' - America's right turns its fire on Britan Health System

Top-ranking Republicans have joined bloggers and well-funded free market organisations in scorning the NHS for its waiting lists and for "rationing" the availability of expensive treatments.

As myths and half-truths circulate, British diplomats in the US are treading a delicate line in correcting falsehoods while trying to stay out of a vicious domestic dogfight over the future of American health policy.

» Guardian UK [ Contribute: submit link / submit article ]

The Whole Foods Alternative to ObamaCare

While we clearly need health-care reform, the last thing our country needs is a massive new health-care entitlement that will create hundreds of billions of dollars of new unfunded deficits and move us much closer to a government takeover of our health-care system. Instead, we should be trying to achieve reforms by moving in the opposite direction—toward less government control and more individual empowerment. Here are eight reforms that would greatly lower the cost of health care for everyone

» WSJ [ Contribute: submit link / submit article ]

A Survey of Charges Billed By Out-of-Network Physicians

America's Health Insurance Plans: The Value of Provider Networks And the Role of Out-of-Network Charges In Rising Health Care Costs: A Survey of Charges Billed By Out-of-Network Physicians

Protecting consumers from runaway charges billed by some out-of-network physicians is an important policy issue at a time of major economic challenges and a national debate surrounding health care reforms. This report provides a snapshot, state-by-state, of exorbitant charges billed by out-of-network physicians in the 30 largest states by population. It is designed to illustrate the value of provider networks and a growing problem faced by consumers who want affordable, meaningful, access to out-of-network providers.

[ PDF ] High Fees Common in Medical Care, Survey Finds

Swine flu vaccine for 'half US'

About half the US population should be vaccinated against the H1N1 virus with pregnant women and health workers the top priority, US officials have said.

In the event that not enough vaccine is available, a tighter group of high-risk patients will receive it. This group also includes people who care for babies, health workers and children between the age of six months and four years.

» BBC [ Contribute: submit link / submit article ]

A Whole Industry Is Waiting For A Pandemic

"It's true that influenza viruses are unpredictable, so it does call for a certain degree of caution. But one of the extraordinary features of this influenza -- and the whole influenza saga -- is that there are some people who make predictions year after year, and they get worse and worse. None of them so far have come about, and these people are still there making these predictions. For example, what happened with the bird flu, which was supposed to kill us all? Nothing. But that doesn't stop these people from always making their predictions. Sometimes you get the feeling that there is a whole industry almost waiting for a pandemic to occur."

» Der Spiegel [ Contribute: submit link / submit article ]

'No doubt' sunbeds cause cancer

An IARC Working Group has classified UV-emitting tanning devices as “carcinogenic to humans”. There is no doubt using a sunbed or sunlamp will raise the risk of skin cancer.

Combined analysis of over 20 epidemiological studies shows that the risk of cutaneous melanoma is increased by 75% when the use of tanning devices starts before age 30. There is also sufficient evidence of an increased risk of ocular melanoma associated with the use of tanning devices. Studies in experimental animals support these conclusions and demonstrate that ultraviolet radiation (UVA, UVB, and UVC) is carcinogenic to humans.

» IARC Working Group [ Contribute: submit link / submit article ]

Military planning for possible H1N1 outbreak; Provide support for 'large-scale testing'

Civilian authorities would lead any relief efforts in the event of a major outbreak, the official said. The military, as they would for a natural disaster or other significant emergency situation, could provide support and fulfill any tasks that civilian authorities could not, such as air transport or testing of large numbers of viral samples from infected patients.

» CNN [ Contribute: submit link / submit article ]

Plastic Surgery Tax Eyed As Revenue Raiser

The Senate Finance Committee has discussed imposing a 10 percent excise tax on cosmetic surgery deemed unnecessary for medical purposes. The idea was broached in a meeting with OMB Director Orszag in mid-July, after which Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus told reporters he had heard some "interesting," "creative," and "kind of fun" ideas.

» National Journal [ Contribute: submit link / submit article ]

Reducing Obesity: Policy Strategies from the Tobacco Wars

To combat the epidemic of obesity, lawmakers can adapt policy approaches that have substantially cut tobacco use. A 10 percent tax on fattening food, identified based on a model used by the British government to determine the foods that may not be advertised to children, would reduce consumption while raising more than $500 billion over 10 years. Adding simple, "traffic light" nutrition labels to the front of each food package would change consumers' buying habits, as would listing calories on menus at chain restaurants. Consumption of fattening food would be further reduced by banning its advertisement in the mass media.

[ PDF ] Urban Institute, Publication Date: July 24, 2009

Additional links
» La Times: Tough love for fat people: Tax their food to pay for healthcare
» CDC: Inaugural Conference to Address Obesity Crisis in the United States

Obesity-Related Conditions 'Account for 9.1% Of All Medical Spending'

Prescription drugs for obesity-related illnesses account for much of the rise in spending. Medicare spends about $600 more per year on prescriptions for an obese beneficiary than a normal-weight one, the study found.

» WSJ [ Contribute: submit link / submit article ]

Swine Flu Could Eventually Affect 40% of Americans

The H1N1 swine flu could end up affecting as many as 40 percent of Americans, if one includes workers who stay home to care for people who contract the illness, U.S. health officials said Friday.

» CDC [ Contribute: submit link / submit article ]

Swine flu screening starts at UK airports

NHS intensive care services could be overwhelmed by a huge rise in swine flu cases, researchers have warned, as Britain’s port authorities started screening incoming passengers for the first time. The warning came as 160 British citizens were held in quarantine in China, Singapore, India and Egypt because of swine flu fears. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office said that there were likely to be others being held over suspicions that they had the H1N1 virus.

» Times Online [ Contribute: submit link / submit article ]

Recommended Community Strategies and Measurements to Prevent Obesity in the United States

Approximately two thirds of U.S. adults and one fifth of U.S. children are obese or overweight. Being either obese or overweight increases the risk for many chronic diseases (e.g., heart disease, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, and stroke). Reversing the U.S. obesity epidemic requires a comprehensive and coordinated approach that uses policy and environmental change to transform communities into places that support and promote healthy lifestyle choices for all U.S. residents. Environmental factors (including lack of access to full-service grocery stores, increasing costs of healthy foods and the lower cost of unhealthy foods, and lack of access to safe places to play and exercise) all contribute to the increase in obesity rates by inhibiting or preventing healthy eating and active living behaviors. Recommended strategies and appropriate measurements are needed to assess the effectiveness of community initiatives to create environments that promote good nutrition and physical activity. This report presents 24 recommended strategies for obesity prevention and a suggested measurement for each strategy that communities can use to assess performance and track progress over time.

» CDC July 24, 2009 [ Contribute: submit link / submit article ]

[ PDF ] Recommended Community Strategies and Measurements to Prevent Obesity in the United States

CDC Prevention and Control of Seasonal Influenza with Vaccines, 2009

This report updates the 2008 recommendations by CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) regarding the use of influenza vaccine for the prevention and control of seasonal influenza. The 2009 seasonal influenza recommendations include new and updated information. Highlights of the 2009 recommendations include a recommendation that annual vaccination be administered to all children aged 6 months--18 years for the 2009/10 influenza season.

» CDC [ Contribute: submit link / submit article ]

[ PDF ] Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, July 24, 2009

House healthcare talks break down in anger

House healthcare negotiations dissolved in acrimony on Friday, with Blue Dog Democrats saying they were “lied” to by their Democratic leaders.

The seven Blue Dogs on the Energy and Commerce Committee stormed out of a Friday meeting with their committee chairman, Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), saying Waxman had been negotiating in bad faith over a number of provisions Blue Dogs demanded be changed in the stalled healthcare bill.

» The Hill [ Contribute: submit link / submit article ]

CDC: ALL CHILDREN OVER 6 MONTHS SHOULD GET FLU VACCINES

All U.S. children aged 6 months to 18 years should get a seasonal influenza vaccine every year, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday.

» Reuters [ Contribute: submit link / submit article ]

Flu Seizures, Brain Symptoms in Four Children Reported by CDC...

The CDC published a report linking swine flu to seizures in two Texas children and hallucinations, difficulty standing and slowed speech in two others.

"Seasonal flu can cause brain complications such as personality changes, loss of concentration, involuntary eye movements and impairment of cognitive function"

» Bloomberg