The overall poor quality of outpatient healthcare in both the formal private and public sector in low and middle income countries is worrying—especially given the increasing volume of chronic conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease, which require relatively sophisticated, long-term outpatient medical care. This conclusion, from a review by Paul Garner from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK and colleagues and published in this week's PLoS Medicine, stresses the pressing need for national governments to find and implement effective strategies ...

Major philanthropic foundations in global health, which often influence and shape the international global health agenda, have links with food and pharmaceutical corporations that could constitute a conflict of interest to the foundations' philanthropic work, reveals a new analysis published in this week's PLoS Medicine. Professor David Stuckler of Harvard University in Boston, USA, Dr. Sanjay Basu of University of California, San Francisco, and Professor Martin McKee of London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine in London United Kingdom, examined the five largest ...

Cambridge, Mass. – April 12, 2011 – A new discovery about the dynamic impact of individual energetic particles into a solid surface improves our ability to predict surface stability or instability of materials under irradiation over time. The finding may lead to the design of improved structural materials for nuclear fission and fusion power plants, which must withstand constant irradiation over decades. It may also accelerate the advent of fusion power, which does not produce radioactivity. Publishing in Nature Communications, Michael Aziz, Gene and Tracy Sykes Professor ...

WASHINGTON – There is increasing evidence from human and animal studies that offspring of parents who were physically or psychologically stressed are at higher risk of developing obesity, and that these offspring may in turn "transmit" that increased risk to the next generation. Now research conducted at the University of Minnesota and Georgetown University suggests that a mother's nutritional or psychological stress during pregnancy and lactation may create a signature on her child's genes that put the child at increased risk for obesity later in life, especially if the ...

WASHINGTON – Research conducted at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital's Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine in Dallas suggests that it's never too late for women to reap the benefits of moderate aerobic exercise. In a 3-month study of 16 women age 60 and older, brisk walking for 30-50 minutes three or four times per week improved blood flow through to the brain as much as 15%. Rong Zhang, the lead researcher in the study, will discuss the team's findings in a presentation titled, "Aerobic exercise training increases brain perfusion in elderly women" at the ...

Approximately 270-300 million people worldwide are infected with hepatitis C, and about 1%-2% of the U.S. population is infected. This infectious disease can lead to scarring of the liver, cirrhosis, and eventually liver failure. A significant number of infected patients develop liver disease or cancer. The current standard treatment is interferon, which has only a 50% success rate. Compounding the 50% failure rate are severe side effects which lead many people to discontinue treatment. Dr. Samuel Wheeler French Jr., MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pathology and Laboratory ...

Everyone has heard the old adage, "an apple a day keeps the doctor away." We all know we should eat more fruit. But why apples? Do they contain specific benefits? According to Dr. Bahram H. Arjmandi, PhD, RD, Margaret A. Sitton Professor and Chair, Department of Nutrition, Food and Exercise Sciences at The Florida State University, apples are truly a "miracle fruit" that convey benefits beyond fiber content. Animal studies have shown that apple pectin and polyphenols in apple improve lipid metabolism and lower the production of pro-inflammatory molecules. Arjmandi's most ...

Fish has long been considered in myriad cultures to be "brain food," but only recently has bona fide science begun to support this deep-rooted belief. Researchers now know that the omega-3 fatty acids found in oily fish such as salmon and herring may play a critical role in both development and maintenance of the brain and nerves. Although sufficient amounts of these long-chain fats can be synthesized endogenously by most adults, experts recommend that pregnant women and infants get additional amounts of these compounds from their diets. This, combined with research suggesting ...

In patients with newly diagnosed tuberculosis (TB), use of a combined 4-drug fixed-dose regimen was found to have comparable outcomes to drugs administered separately, according to a study in the April 13 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on infectious disease and immunology. Christian Lienhardt, M.D., M.Sc., Ph.D., of the World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland, presented the findings of the study at a JAMA media briefing at the National Press Club. Dr. Lienhardt conducted the study while heading the Clinical Trial Division at the International Union Against Tuberculosis ...

Administration of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine doses over a longer period of time to adolescent girls in Vietnam resulted in antibody concentration levels that were comparable to the standard vaccine schedule, according to a study in the April 13 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on infectious disease and immunology. Kathleen M. Neuzil, M.D., M.P.H., of PATH, Seattle, presented the findings of the study at a JAMA media briefing at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Cervical cancer is an important cause of illness and death among women throughout the world. ...

Over on Facebook we're giving away a free iPad to one lucky winner as soon as we hit 1,000 fans. (So click "like" if you want a chance to win!) Why are a bunch of Miami attorneys doing a free iPad giveaway? In all honesty -- and this is the only truthful answer we could give you -- we want to get our name out there as far and wide as possible. What business doesn't? And Facebook is a great way to do that. Plus, we can't think of many devices on the market today that are better than the iPad. Tablet computing is steadily improving and many lawyers are beginning ...

Persons who have tested positive for herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) but do not have symptoms or genital lesions still experience virus shedding during subclinical (without clinical manifestations) episodes, suggesting a high risk of transmission from persons with unrecognized HSV-2 infection, according to a study in the April 13 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on infectious disease and immunology. Anna Wald, M.D., M.P.H., of the University of Washington and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, presented the findings of the study at a JAMA media briefing ...

There are differences between adult and pediatric patients regarding the appropriate treatment and prevention efforts for health-care associated infections, highlighting a need for pediatric-specific quality measures to guide infection prevention and treatment practices, according to a commentary in the April 13 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on infectious disease and immunology. Camille Sabella, M.D., of the Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital, presented the commentary at a JAMA media briefing at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Dr. Sabella and commentary ...

In a callous political move, Governor Cuomo dealt a significant blow to the rights of brain damaged children to help offset the State's budget shortfall. Shortly after this election, the Governor appointed a Committee to review medical malpractice cases. The committee consisted of medical-hospital-insurance representatives. There was no one to speak for neurologically impaired infants. The Committee recommended and the Governor pushed the Legislature to pass, and he immediately signed, a bill establishing a "Neurologically Impaired Infant Medical Indemnity Fund". As ...

Bacterial genes that make urine less acidic could be good targets to prevent catheter blockage, according to research presented at the Society for General Microbiology's Spring Conference in Harrogate. The findings could lead to new strategies to prevent serious infections, particularly in long-term catheterization patients. Urinary catheters are devices used in hospitals and community care homes to manage a range of bladder conditions, and are commonly used to manage incontinence in elderly individuals for long periods of time. Scientists from the University of Brighton, ...

Manuka honey could be an efficient way to clear chronically infected wounds and could even help reverse bacterial resistance to antibiotics, according to research presented at the Society for General Microbiology's Spring Conference in Harrogate. Professor Rose Cooper from the University of Wales Institute Cardiff is looking at how manuka honey interacts with three types of bacteria that commonly infest wounds: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Group A Streptococci and Meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Her group has found that honey can interfere with the growth ...

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Researchers at the University of Michigan Health System have uncovered a new link between genetic variations associated with alcoholism, impulsive behavior and a region of the brain involved in craving and anxiety. The results, published online April 12 in Molecular Psychiatry, suggest that variations in the GABRA2 gene contribute to the risk of alcoholism by influencing impulsive behaviors, at least in part through a portion of the cerebral cortex known as the insula, says study senior author Margit Burmeister, Ph.D., research professor at U-M's Molecular ...

On the off chance that any of my Wealth Counsel colleagues from warmer climes are unaware of conditions in the Midwest, southeast Michigan in mid-February is not full of sun and ripe for delightful outdoor activities (I've shocked you, I'm sure). Some people from our wonderful state enjoy all that our winters have to offer, including skiing, snowboarding and snowmobiling. Our law practice, however, has a significant number of retirement-age clients, and for those clients, and for the rest of us who prefer to reserve our outdoor recreation for the warmer months, February ...

EDITOR'S PICK Protein could improve recovery from heart attacks Angiogenesis, the development of new blood vessels, is required during embryonic development and wound healing, as well as during disease processes such as tumor growth. The signals that direct angiogensis are incompletely understood, but could represent novel targets for the development of therapies that promote or inhibit this process. In this paper, Young-Guen Kwon and colleagues, of Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea, investigated the role of two related proteins- DKK1 and DKK2- in angiogenesis. These ...

A team of scientists led by the Smithsonian Institution has discovered a fossilized dinosaur skull and neck vertebrae that not only reveal a new species, but also an evolutionary link between two groups of dinosaurs. The new species, Daemonosaurus chauliodus, was discovered at Ghost Ranch, N.M. The team's findings are published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, Wednesday, April 13. The oldest known dinosaurs walked or ran on their hind legs and included early predatory species such as Herrerasaurus. They existed in what are now Argentina and Brazil early in the ...

This press release is available in French. Pigeons may not instill the same aura of fear as a Tyrannosaurus rex, but they inherited their sense of smell from such prehistoric killers. Birds are known more for their flying abilities and their senses of vision and balance than for their sense of smell. According to conventional wisdom, the sense of smell declined during the transition from dinosaurs to birds as the senses of vision and balance were improved for flight. But new research published today by scientists at the University of Calgary, the Royal Tyrrell Museum ...

A simple dictionary search for the word mediation reveals the following definition: action in mediating between parties, as to effect an agreement or reconciliation. Legal practitioners are familiar with mediation as an alternative dispute resolution technique that utilizes a neutral party, the mediator, to assist two or more parties in coming to an out-of-court resolution to a dispute. Mediation is a common and effective technique that has long been used in general civil disputes, as well as in divorce and child custody matters. In fact, I first trained as a domestic relations ...

Firm founder David Jasmer of The Jasmer Law Firm, located in Chicago, Illinois, recently secured a $1 million out-of-court settlement for a client who was rendered an incomplete quadriplegic following a fall down a defective stairway. Last July, while visiting a friend's home, an active 54-year-old woman fell down a steep, poorly lit stairway onto a cement basement floor. She was catastrophically injured, breaking her neck and sustaining serious injuries to her spinal cord and knee. Doctors diagnosed her as an incomplete quadriplegic, meaning that she still had some ...

There is growing inequality between different countries in Europe and central Asia in the proportion of people who die from stroke, according to a study published online today in the European Heart Journal [1]. In countries where the proportions of stroke deaths have been low at the end of the 20th century, the death rates are continuing to decrease sharply; these countries include most of the western European nations. But in countries where stroke deaths were moderate or high, there has been "a further unprecedented increase in this cause of death" say the authors of ...

Blue denim jeans are one of the most popular and iconic fashion items in the world; now a study published in Biotechnology Journal reveals a cheaper, more efficient and eco-friendly method for treating dyed denim. The process of 'surface activation' used to wash-down the denim following dyeing could also offer an alternative to the dangerous, and internationally banned, sandblasting technique. "The global production of denim is estimated at 3 billion linear meters and more than 4 billion garments per year," said Thomas Bechtold, from the Research Institute for Textile ...