Cost of clinical trials worries donors
May 24, 2012 at 7:06 AM by AHN · Leave a Comment
The more medical successes there are, the more it costs to find the next one, prompting donors to demand more from researchers carrying out large-scale trials of drugs, vaccines and global health impacts. “As a funder, I hate clinical trial applications,” said Jimmy Whitworth, head of international activities at the science funding division of UK-based Wellcome Trust, which finances health ...
Read More...People with diabetes living longer
May 23, 2012 at 8:20 AM by AHN · Leave a Comment
Some good news on the diabetes front: people with the disease are living longer. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report in a study released Wednesday that between 1997 and 2004, the percentage of people with diabetes who died from any cause fell 23 percent, and the percentage of people who died from heart disease or stroke plunged 40 percent. The CDC cited improved treatments for ...
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Healthcare in the crossfire
May 23, 2012 at 4:05 AM by AHN · Leave a Comment
As Mohammed Mohammedi lay trapped in the car with his co-worker, pinned down by heavy gunfire, they promised each other that whoever made it out alive would tell the other’s family. Now, 12 years after he was captured and beaten by militias in Somalia while carrying out a polio vaccination campaign, he realizes this was a “futile promise.” “If you ask someone at WHO [World Hea...
Read More...From malaria research results to policy
May 23, 2012 at 3:59 AM by AHN · Leave a Comment
No matter how compelling, medical research has historically not guaranteed swift regulatory approval, but researchers are finding ways to speed up translation of their conclusions into policy. In the fight against malaria, it took years of consistent medical results on insecticide-treated bed nets to gain the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommendation in 2007. Governments will generally n...
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Rising ARV resistance threatens HIV fight
May 22, 2012 at 6:16 AM by AHN · Leave a Comment
The prevalence of drug-resistant HIV strains in Uganda has risen from 8.6 percent to 12 percent in the last five years, one of the highest rates in Sub-Saharan Africa, according to a recent study. The PharmAccess African Studies to Evaluate Resistance (PASER) monitoring cohort study report for 2008-2012 found that the prevalence of transmitted drug resistance among people who have never taken lif...
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Low HIV prevalence has its own challenges
May 21, 2012 at 2:54 PM by AHN · Leave a Comment
Madagascar has a low level of HIV prevalence, and managing its AIDS programme should present no major difficulties. But the apparent advantage of a low infection rate, combined with the ongoing political crisis, has brought its own challenges. Madagascar, and the neighbouring islands states of Comoros, Mauritius and Seychelles, are anomalies in the context of HIV/AIDS in Africa. Prevalence is very...
Read More...Jazz singer Al Jarreau cancels gig due to illness
May 21, 2012 at 10:10 AM by AHN · Leave a Comment
Jazz singer Al Jarreau cancelled his performance last minute Sunday due to pneumonia. The concert, which was held at The Centre at Escondido,California, went on as scheduled. The “Mornin’” singer has been diagnosed with pneumonia before the concert. A representative for Jarreau said, “Mr. Jarreau believes that his illness and fatigue resulted from a very busy week on tour, ...
Read More...Three-year-old toddler helps mom deliver sibling
May 21, 2012 at 8:37 AM by AHN · Leave a Comment
Joshan Chima, a 3-year old toddler from Spondon, Derby, helped his mother deliver his baby sister inside a parked car. Kaz Chima, 35, was driving his wife, Sonia, 30, to the hospital on May 2 when she told her husband to stop the car because the baby was ready to deliver. They pulled over, and while Kaz was on his phone for help, their son Joshan remained calm and advised his mother on breathing...
Read More...Penn State Researcher Plays Role in Leukemia Gene Mutation Discovery
May 21, 2012 at 6:00 AM by Gant Team · Leave a Comment
By Scott Gilbert, Penn State A gene mutation is an underlying cause of LGL leukemia, according to a study published in the May 17 edition of New England Journal of Medicine and co-authored by a Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute researcher. Tom Loughran, director of Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute, who discovered LGL leukemia in 1985, was part of the multinational study based in Finland. LGL...
Read More...PA Heartland ARC Notes
May 19, 2012 at 6:21 AM by Gant Team · Leave a Comment
Annual Membership Meeting Elects New Board Class The American Red Cross PA Heartland Chapter’s annual membership meeting was held Friday, May 4 at the Penfield United Methodist Church. During the meeting, volunteers, financial and blood donors heard reports concerning the services provided to the Chapter’s service area. Marcia Belin was recognized for her role as Board Chair over the past two years....
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