Contrary to previous research, older adults who use over-the-counter vitamin E or C supplements do not have a reduced risk of developing dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. This is according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society that tracked patients using vitamin E and/or vitamin C supplements over a follow-up period of more than 5 years. The study also finds that the combined use of vitamins E and C, which was previously thought to offer even greater protection against the diseases, also did not reduce the risk of developing dementia or Alzheimer’s.

“There is limited evidence to support supplemental use of the vitamins to prevent or delay onset of Alzheimer’s disease, says Shelly L. Gray, author of the study. “In fact, other studies show that higher doses of vitamin E may even be associated with harm in older people, such as slightly increased risk of mortality.”

The exact cause of Alzheimer’s disease is not entirely known. One theory is that a high level of free radicals in the brain may contribute. Some vitamins, such as vitamin E, have the ability to neutralize free radicals, which might be expected to prevent injury to cells in the body that lead to disease. By taking doses of vitamin E that are higher than recommended for normal functioning of the body, it was hoped that cell injury from oxidant stress may be prevented, and that effect, if present, would result in less chance of developing Alzheimer’s.

Some older adults purchase even higher doses of vitamins E and C in the hope that they will prevent such diseases. The doses found in these supplements may be much higher than what is recommended for use by the general public and what is usually contained in a multivitamin.

At one point, vitamin E was touted as beneficial for preventing a wide variety of diseases and, therefore, this agent is still widely used. However, a growing body of evidence suggests that vitamin E also does not protect against cardiovascular disease or the many cancers thought to be inhibited through vitamin E intake. Many older adults may still believe that vitamin E is beneficial and may still be taking higher doses in hope of maintaining memory. Because vitamin E does not dissolve in water but instead in fat, it is harder for the body to rid itself of excess amounts of the vitamin.

The Journal of the American Geriatrics Society is a comprehensive and reliable source of monthly research and information about common diseases and disorders of older adults. For more information, please visit blackwellpublishing/jgs.
Wiley-Blackwell was formed in February 2007 as a result of the acquisition of Blackwell Publishing Ltd. by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., and its merger with Wiley’s Scientific, Technical, and Medical business. Together, the companies have created a global publishing business with deep strength in every major academic and professional field. Wiley-Blackwell publishes approximately 1,400 scholarly peer-reviewed journals and an extensive collection of books with global appeal. For more information on Wiley-Blackwell, please visit blackwellpublishing or interscience.wiley. Continue reading →

In the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and with the backdrop of the Global War on Terror and threats to homeland security, physicians and other healthcare professionals with expertise in public health and preventive medicine are gathering for Preventive Medicine 2006 to address current issues and controversies. Preventive Medicine 2006 is the premier meeting held annually for physicians and other healthcare professionals with an interest in preventive medicine. The forum serves as the annual meeting for the Washington, D.C.-based American College of Preventive Medicine (ACPM), a national professional society for physicians dedicated to disease prevention and health promotion.

Practitioners on the front lines of disaster preparedness and response will lead discussions on the connections among emerging infectious diseases, natural disasters, terrorism readiness, environmental degradation, extreme weather, and individual health. Sessions will elucidate the nexus of science, policy, and clinical practice as it relates to the readiness and capacity of the current public health system to respond to short- and long-term impacts of disasters. National experts will provide recommended strategies for individuals, communities, and policymakers to take action and ensure adequate protections.

Experts from the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense, and other public health organizations will provide updates on local, state, federal, and international efforts to coordinate response capabilities and present ideas for developing a more structured national force protection capability. They will explore the roles of intelligence processing, syndromic surveillance, and other bioterrorism prevention strategies. Sessions will address controversies like the storage of nuclear waste and the likely impacts of small scale nuclear accidents or sabotage.

Scheduled for February 22-26 in Reno/Tahoe, Nevada, Preventive Medicine 2006 will attract nearly 700 physicians and other health care professionals. The meeting will be held at John Ascuaga’s Nugget Resort.

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Detailed information about Preventive Medicine 2006 can be found on the conference web site (preventivemedicine2006/).

The American College of Preventive Medicine is the national medical specialty society representing physicians committed to health promotion and disease prevention. Founded in 1954, ACPM provides leadership in research, professional education, development of public policy, and enhancement of standards of preventive medicine. In addition to physicians Board-certified in preventive medicine, ACPM’s members include physicians Board-certified in other medical specialties who have a strong interest in health promotion and disease prevention. For more information about ACPM, visit acpm/.

Contact: Lacey Young
llyacpm
American College of Preventive Medicine Continue reading →

Down syndrome is a well known cause of mental retardation and other medical problems, including early onset of Alzheimer disease. It has long been known that Down syndrome is associated with an individual having an additional copy of chromosome 21. Research findings reported in the July 18 advanced online publication of Nature Neuroscience have narrowed down the critical genetic elements responsible for some aspects of Down syndrome.

A team of scientists from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) and Children’s National Medical Center (CNMC), led by Zygmunt Galdzicki, Ph.D., associate professor of Anatomy, Physiology and Genetics, USU, and Tarik F. Haydar, Ph.D., CNMC, now associate professor, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine, and corresponding author on the study), were able to identify Olig1 and Olig2 as two genes specific to the critical region of chromosome 21 associated with Down syndrome by using a specifically-engineered modification of the golden standard Down syndrome mouse model, Ts65Dn.

Previous studies including those by co-author Tyler Best, Ph.D., while a graduate student at USU, suggested that inhibitory activity is stronger in the Ts65Dn brain. This led researchers at USU and Children’s to hypothesize that genes controlling the inhibitory tone of the brain contribute to the cognitive changes associated with Down syndrome. By manipulating Olig1 and Olig2, genes present on the extra chromosome 21, the researchers were able to normalize key aspects of the inhibitory tone in brain regions involved in learning and memory. Thus, the balance of excitatory to inhibitory neurons is critically regulated by extra copies of these genes and they can drastically modify neurological development in Down syndrome.

“The results of this study demonstrate the critical effects of Olig1 and Olig2 on brain development and, in particular, on inhibitory networks in the brain,” said Dr. Galdzicki. “However, it is likely that additional genes are also involved in the effect. We hope the findings will lead to better strategies for early intervention, even during the pregnancy, to reduce neurological consequences of Down syndrome.

“This study again highlights that research on Down syndrome can provide us with new insight into the mechanisms that regulate brain growth and may help with better understanding other neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism,” he said. “These findings show the need to do more human studies and also suggest that Olig1 and Olig2 inhibitors may have a potential therapeutic role for Down syndrome individuals.”

Source: Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) Continue reading →

Statement from Donald Crane

President and CEO

California Association of Physician Groups

“The California Association of Physician Groups (CAPG) and the 60,000 physicians we represent support the efforts by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to pursue an Accountable Care Organization (ACO) approach to serving the Medicare population and beyond. These proposed regulations herald an exciting and promising new day for seniors — the promise of higher quality, coordinated care supplanting fragmented, wasteful, suboptimal fee for service care. The proposed dual tract payment methodology is almost precisely the sensible approach that CAPG advocated. It will allow the more sophisticated ACOs, like those in the CAPG membership, to take on downside risk and upside gainsharing opportunity, which will create the stronger incentives necessary to bend the cost curve down and the quality curve up. For example, virtually all CAPG members are providing high quality care to Medicare seniors under a prepayment model resulting in hospital utilization rates that are approximately 39 % lower than is currently experienced in the Original Medicare population. We are ready, willing, and able to deliver the same high quality, highly efficient care to the Original Medicare population.
“In California, the necessary networks of physicians and the infrastructure of coordinated care – more than sufficient to reduce costs to CMS and to improve quality to the beneficiaries – are already in place. At initial review the regulations are on the right track and our physician groups are ready to do their part to make sure ACO’s succeed.”

Source:

California Association of Physician Groups (CAPG) Continue reading →

Pulse is pleased to announce a series of ten one-day practice based commissioning masterclass events in conjunction with the NAPC, aimed at GPs, practice managers, PBC consortium board members, PBC managers and PCT commissioning leads.

These regional events which are running between October 2009 and January 2010 are designed to give an in-depth understanding of the barriers holding up practice based commissioning and provide practical skills to clear the path to commissioning success.

The programme for each region have been tailored to meet local learning needs and are developed based on results of detailed interviews with practice based commissioners.

The four skills based programmes include:
Data: How to get it and how to use it
Key PBC stumbling blocks and how to overcome them
Negotiating and influencing skills to drive forward PBC success
Making a success of your service re-design
Expert tutors will provide top tips and advice, plus best-practice case studies to help gain clarity about the keys to PBC success, and practical workshops will give the opportunity to put new skills into action.

Delegates will also receive a copy of all the relevant modules from the NAPC’s acclaimed PBC toolkit along with an attendance certificate.

TEVA UK Limited and the Department of Health are sponsoring these events which means the first 50 tickets are at a reduced rate of ??85 + VAT.

For more information visit pulse-seminars

Source
Pulse Continue reading →

Worldwide feminine hygiene products market is fraught with intense competition, innovation, and rising consumer health concerns. The toughest challenge encountered by manufacturers is that of keeping pace with customers’ ever-changing lifestyles, attitudes, and ideas. Given the growing number of aging brand loyal baby boomers entering menopause, manufacturers in the industry are now targeting the younger generation, particularly the teenagers.

Another factor that is expected to benefit the industry is the increasing adoption of physically active lifestyles among women. With active adolescents and working young women sporting figure-hugging dresses, swimsuits and spandex outfits, the use of innovative tampons and ultra thin sanitary pads is expected to gain preference as protection products.

The United States, Europe, and Asia-Pacific collectively account for 80% of the feminine hygiene products market, as stated by Global Industry Analysts, Inc. Asia-Pacific, with a vast population base and relatively untapped market, is projected to be the fastest growing region over the period 2001-2010. Sales from sanitary pads in the United States are estimated at $1.3 billion for 2008. Driven by technology innovation and greater user safety, sanitary pads have emerged as a popular feminine protection product worldwide. The consistent consumption trend is further benefited by technological innovations that have made sanitary pads thinner, smaller, lighter, and highly absorptive.

Tampons are used extensively in the developed regions of the world that include United States, Western Europe and Canada. Recurrence of TSS cases in recent years has affected tampon sales, with women shifting to alternatives such as sanitary pads. Faced with issues related to adverse health and environmental affects, the European tampons market is expected to grow at a modest pace to reach $1.1 billion by 2010. The use of tampons in Asia-Pacific, Africa, and Eastern Europe is restricted due to cultural and cost factors.

Worldwide feminine hygiene products market is characterized by mature conditions, which has intensified competition in the market. Major players profiled in the report include Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, Kimberly-Clark, SCA, Lil-lets Group, Playtex Products, Unicharm, and Kao Corporation.

The report titled “Feminine Hygiene Products: A Global Strategic Business Report” published by Global Industry Analysts, Inc., analyzes the market over the 2001-2015 period, while the historic analytics provide an overview of the industry’s performance in the past (1991-2000). The report also focuses on the advent of innovative technologies, in the form of improved material and convenience offering products, which are expected to boost market prospects.

For more details of this research report please visit click here.

About Global Industry Analysts, Inc.

Global Industry Analysts, Inc., (GIA) is a reputed publisher of off-the-shelf market research. Founded in 1987, the company is globally recognized as one of the world’s largest market research publishers. The company employs over 700 people worldwide and publishes more than 880 full-scale research reports each year. Additionally, the company also offers a range of over 60,000 smaller research products including company reports, market trend reports, and industry reports encompassing all major industries worldwide.

StrategyR Continue reading →

French CNRS scientists in collaboration have shown that a memory of a traumatic event can be wiped out, although other, associated recollections remain intact. This is what a scientist in the Laboratory for the Neurobiology of Learning, Memory and Communication (CNRS/Orsay University), working with an American team, has recently demonstrated in the rat. This result could be used to cure patients suffering from post-traumatic stress.

Recalling an event stored in the long-term memory triggers a reprocessing phase: the recollection then becomes sensitive to pharmacological disturbances before being once more stored in the long-term memory. Is drug therapy capable of wiping out the initial memory, and only that memory?

The scientists trained rats to be frightened of two distinct sounds, making them listen to these sounds just before sending an electric shock to their paws. The next day, they gave half of the rats a drug known to cause amnesia for events recalled from memory, and played just one of the sounds again. When they played both sounds to the rats on the next day, those which had not received the drug were still frightened of both sounds, while those which had received the drug were no longer afraid of the sound they had heard under its influence. Recalling the memory of the electric shock associated with the sound played while rats were under the influence of a drug thus meant that the memory was wiped out by the drug, leaving intact the memory associated with the other sound.

The researchers also recorded the neuronal activity of rats in the amygdale, an area of the brain associated with emotional memory. Neuronal activity increased when remembering the traumatic memory, but diminished in drugged rats. This result showed that pharmacological disturbance of the memory recalled did indeed consist in selectively wiping out this memory, and only this memory. This is the first demonstration that a memory can be modified or even wiped out at the cellular level, permanently and independently of other memories associated with it.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Synapse-specific reconsolidation of distinct fear memories in the lateral amygdale, V. Doy??re, J. Debiec, M.-H. Monfils, J. E Schafe, J. E LeDoux, Nature Neuroscience, doi :10.1038/nn1871 (2007). Advanced online publication on March, 2007

Contact: Monica McCarthy
CNRS Continue reading →

Brain imaging researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City have demonstrated dysfunction in a key brain region in major depression. Major depression, a mood disorder affecting millions of people, causes tremendous suffering with a large impact on public health. Brain imaging has recently produced significant advances concerning brain circuitry in major depression, mostly focusing upon negative emotion and mood regulation. In contrast, researchers at Weill Cornell have focused on the inability of many patients with depression to experience positive emotions.

In a study published in this month’s issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry, the research team reports that patients with major depression, compared with healthy control subjects, fail to activate a critical deep brain area to positive emotional stimuli. The area is the ventral striatum, in the region of the nucleus accumbens, which has been associated with reward, motivation and salience. Furthermore, among patients, those who had more of a failure to activate this region under these conditions reported more lack of interest and pleasure in work or activities — on “anhedonia” items of standardized clinical rating scales.

Recent models of depression have included the ventral striatum and motivational functions, among a number of regions and processes, but there has not previously been direct and specific evidence for positive emotion-related dysfunction in the region of the nucleus accumbens, with clinical correlation as well.

The current work addresses this issue with specifically-designed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) approaches. Study subjects silently read positive, neutral and negative emotional words on a screen as their pattern of brain activity was being measured. Targeted analyses allowed the scientists to test a hypothesis about the link between ventral striatal function, positive emotion and anhedonia, by comparing localized brain activity in the different experimental conditions, and determining its relationship to patients’ depressive symptoms.

The research team in Weill Cornell’s Department of Psychiatry was led by Drs. David Silbersweig and Emily Stern (senior authors, directors of the Functional Neuroimaging Laboratory, functionalneuroimaginglab/), and included Dr. Jane Epstein (first author), and Dr. James Kocsis (a clinical researcher of mood disorders and their treatment) and Dr. Hong Pan (image analysis scientist).

While follow-up studies will need to be performed, these initial findings help to clarify a biological underpinning for a central feature or sub-type of depression, and provide important information for the refinement of brain circuit models of depression.

The work also helps to provide a foundation for the development of improved treatment strategies, which are increasingly based upon specific brain targets and mechanisms. Such studies contribute to a growing body of neuroscientifiic work, leading to a greater understanding that conditions like depression have a biological foundation (are not just “psychological”). This understanding can help to de-stigmatize mental illness, so that people who are suffering receive greater support and get the help they need.

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For more information please visit:
Weill Cornell Medical College Continue reading →

What new frontiers of science can be probed with the world’s first free electron laser using x-ray wavelengths? How can we quickly deploy appropriate radiation detection systems to any location on a highway when a vehicle’s cargo is suspect? How much has the average medical radiation exposure increased and why?

These and other questions will be addressed at the 2008 Midyear Topical Meeting of the Health Physics Society (HPS), which will take place January 28-30, 2008 in Oakland, California at the Oakland Marriott Convention Center. Approximately 400 attendees are expected, with over 130 presentations throughout the three days.

Here are two examples of the noteworthy talks that will be presented at the meeting:

MEDICAL RADIATION EXPOSURES RISING

In 1982, the per capita radiation dose from medical imaging was estimated to be 0.54 mSv (millisieverts, a standard unit of radiation exposure) and the collective dose was124,000 person-Sv. Just 14 years later, the National Council on Radiation made preliminary estimates that the per capita dose from medical exposure (not including radiotherapy) had increased almost 600 percent (to about 3.0 mSv.) The collective dose had increased over 750 percent to about 880,000 person-Sv. The largest contributions and increases have come primarily from CT scanning and nuclear medicine. (Presentation TPM-B.1 Tuesday, January 29, 2008)

WORLD’S FIRST FREE ELECTRON X-RAY LASER

The Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) will be the world’s first free electron laser at x-ray wavelengths when it becomes operational in 2009. Ultra-fast pulses of unprecedented brightness will enable completely new classes of experiments, such as following atomic rearrangements during chemical reactions, and imaging of single molecules.

(Two presentations: MPM-A.4 Monday, January 28, 2008; and WAM-A.5 Wednesday, January 30, 2008)

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

* Information about particle accelerator facilities for medical therapy; use of radiation-generating machines for cargo imaging systems;

* Discussion of a new technique that overcomes these limitations by obtaining tomographic images using the multiple scattering of cosmic radiation as it transits each vehicle;

* A Nuclear Regulatory Commission update on efforts to regulate naturally-occurring and accelerator-produced radioactive materials;

* Performance of non-destructive testing radiography using a battery-powered portable x-ray generator rather than a traditional gamma radiography source;

* A report on the status of two new International Electrotechnical Commission international standards (one on personnel screening and one on cargo/vehicle inspection systems);

* A review of the recently released ANSI Standard related to the use of radiation detection equipment used for national security;

* A new method for delivering therapeutic radiation doses using a miniature x-ray source.

Click here to access information about these and all of the presentations.

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ABOUT THE HEALTH PHYSICS SOCIETY

The Health Physics Society consists of approximately 5,500 radiation safety professionals whose activities include ensuring safe and beneficial uses of radiation and radioactive materials, assisting in the development of standards and regulations, and communicating radiation safety information.

The Society is a nonprofit organization formed in 1956. Its primary mission is excellence in the science and practice of radiation safety. The Society has members in approximately 70 countries, and has established nearly 50 chapters and 10 student branches. Visit hps/ for more information.

Health physicists promote the practice of radiation safety. They work in occupational environments such as universities, local hospitals, manufacturing, and nuclear power plants as well as in environmental areas such as radioactive waste sites. They are involved in understanding, evaluating, and controlling radiation’s potential risks relative to its benefits in applications such as fighting disease, supplying energy, and increasing security.

The HPS meeting webpage contains links to the full program.

Source: Jason Bardi

American Institute of Physics Continue reading →

The increased use of compulsory treatment orders is a serious cause of concern said Mental health Network director Steve Shrubb in response to the Care Quality Commission’s first Mental Health Act report

Steve Shrubb, director of the NHS Confederation’s Mental Health Network, which represents the majority of NHS mental health trusts, said:

“The rise in the use of compulsory treatment orders is a source of serious concern and we need to get to the bottom of what is happening. One factor could be demand for services is continuing to rise in the light of the recession. We need to find alternative ways to support people.

“Many services already provide excellent services and the challenge is to bring everyone up to the standard of the best. The key is to offer services based on listening to staff and service users that is tailored to meet individual needs.

“We also need to focus on early intervention so mental illness is tackled as soon as possible. The current white paper reforms, which put commissioning power closer to patients, offer a real opportunity for early intervention and improved mental wellbeing will be an important indicator of their success.”

Source:

NHS Confederation

Mental Health Network Continue reading →