FDA Tests Effects of Anthrax Sterilization Methods
After the anthrax scare in Washington, D.C., in 2001, questions arose regarding damage to various items after sterilization. FDA researchers conducted a study that evaluated three different sterilization processes and how they affect a variety of items. (Embargo expired on 06-Dec-2004 at 00:00 ET)
Biomedical Instrumentation and Technology, Vol. 38 Issue 6, Dec-2004
—Alliance Communications Group

Generic Drug Use Varies Widely by State
Generic drug use varies widely by state, according to a new Express Scripts study that measured per capita generic drug utilization in 2003, using a random sample of approximately 3 million pharmacy benefit plan members age 18 to 64. (Embargo expired on 06-Dec-2004 at 00:10 ET)
—Express Scripts, Inc.

Physicians' Attitudes on End-Of-Life Care
Doctors appear willing to use intensive treatment to lessen otherwise untreatable pain or other severe symptoms in dying patients even if the treatment, at least in theory, risks hastening the dying process, according to two studies on end-of-life care.
J. Of Medical Ethics, Oct-2004
Am. J. of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, Sep/Oct-2004
—University of Iowa (Health Sciences)

Novel Drugs Help Solve Gleevec Resistance
Two different novel targeted therapies can produce strong responses in patients who have become resistant to Gleevec(tm), the standard therapy for chronic myeloid leukemia, researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center are reporting. (Embargo expired on 05-Dec-2004 at 19:30 ET)
American Society of Hematology
—University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center

Farnesyl Transferase Inhibitor and Patients at High-Risk for AML
An oral targeted therapy gentle enough to be used by patients in their 70s or 80s is showing benefit in treating high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome, a pre-leukemic disorder that can progress to acute myelogenous leukemia, according to a study. (Embargo expired on 04-Dec-2004 at 21:00 ET)
American Society of Hematology
—University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center

How Virus That Causes AIDS Spreads Following Oral Exposure
Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas have utilized an animal model to trace how the virus that causes AIDS in humans may enter and spread throughout the body following an oral exposure. (Embargo expired on 03-Dec-2004 at 01:00 ET)
AIDS, Dec-2004
—University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas

UMR Researcher Studying Lead Levels in St. Louis Kids
Roughly 200,000 houses in St. Louis might as well have the cross-stitched phrase “Home, sweet (and toxic), home” hanging in a frame on their living room wall, according to a University of Missouri-Rolla researcher.
—University of Missouri-Rolla

Right-Side Kidneys Not Left Out
Living kidney donation skyrocketed after the introduction of less-invasive surgical techniques for removing left-side kidneys.
—University of Alabama at Birmingham

Don’t Shoot
The rate of gun-related eye injuries in the United States has remained stable for several years, ending an earlier period of decline, according to UAB researchers.
—University of Alabama at Birmingham

Is the Internet Encouraging Suicide Pacts?
A disturbing new trend in suicide pacts involving strangers meeting over the internet (cybersuicide) is emerging, warns a consultant psychiatrist. (Embargo expired on 02-Dec-2004 at 18:10 ET)
BMJ, 4-Dec-2004
—British Medical Journal

Guidance on Chaperones Hard to Implement in General Practice
Guidance about the use of chaperones for intimate examinations is difficult to implement fully in general practice, according to a study published. (Embargo expired on 02-Dec-2004 at 18:10 ET)
BMJ, 4-Dec-2004
—British Medical Journal

Medication Errors in Sick Children May be Higher than Previously Thought
The level of medication errors in sick children might be substantially higher than previously estimated, according to a study. (Embargo expired on 02-Dec-2004 at 18:10 ET)
BMJ, 4-Dec-2004
—British Medical Journal

Emergency Departments Failing to Meet Essential Standards for Children
Five years after accident and emergency departments were found to be lacking in essential services for children, many still fail to meet the minimum standards, says a study. (Embargo expired on 02-Dec-2004 at 18:10 ET)
BMJ, 4-Dec-2004
—British Medical Journal

Medical Negligence System Is "Secretive, Unaccountable and Unregulated"
The current system for determining medical negligence is "secretive, unaccountable and unregulated", according to an opinion. (Embargo expired on 02-Dec-2004 at 18:10 ET)
BMJ, 4-Dec-2004
—British Medical Journal

Direct Payments to Households in Poor Countries Could Improve Maternal, Child Health
Results of a study from Honduras show how direct cash payments from government to poor families improves the takeup of antenatal and infant health services. (Embargo expired on 02-Dec-2004 at 18:30 ET)
Lancet, 4-Dec-2004
—Lancet

Thinking Beyond Deworming
300 million people in the developing world are seriously ill from intestinal worms. Treatment is cheap and effective—and if successfully delivered with other public-health measures could make a substantial contribution to achieving many of the world’s Millennium development Goals. (Embargo expired on 02-Dec-2004 at 18:30 ET)
Lancet, 4-Dec-2004
—Lancet

No Long-Term Harm from Repeated Prenatal Ultrasound Examination
Results of a study from Australia reassurance to the safety of repeated ultrasound examination during pregnancy. (Embargo expired on 02-Dec-2004 at 18:30 ET)
Lancet, 4-Dec-2004
—Lancet

Indoor Swimming Pool Exposure May Damage Protein Cells in Children’s Lungs
Repeated exposure to disinfection by-products in the air around indoor swimming pools may damage the outermost cells lining the smallest airways in the lungs of children. Blood levels of Clara cell protein were significantly lower among children who regularly visited indoor pools.
Environmental Health Perspectives, Dec-2004
—Environmental Health Perspectives (NIEHS)

College Athletes Suffer from Low Nutrient Intake
College athletes are not getting the daily dose of nutrition they need to support their athletic activities and stresses, a University of Missouri-Columbia researcher has found.
International J. of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism
—University of Missouri-Columbia

Duct Tape and Other Treatments for Warts
Skin warts, although usually harmless, can be unsightly, annoying, and painful. The December issue of the Harvard Health Letter explains what warts are, tells readers when to see a doctor, and gives tips on removing those pesky warts—including using the household tool duct tape.
—Harvard Women's Health Watch

Surviving the Holidays
Looking for holiday-related story ideas? McGill University has a number of experts willing to comment on everything from keeping in shape to finding spirituality during the season.
—McGill University

Putting a Price on Quality: Payment for Quality in ESRD Patients
As the number of patients suffering from End Stage Renal Disease and the cost of their collective care rises, federal agencies are recommending the establishment of payment for quality measures to improve efficiency and increase nationwide uniformity.
J. of the Am. Society of Nephrology, Dec-2004
—American Society of Nephrology (ASN)

Funding Is Needed to Help Children with Neurological, Behavioral Disabilities
The American Occupational Therapy Association responds to an article that appeared in the November 30th Health Section of the Washington Post, with a letter to the editor, urging the need for increased public funding for research into childhood developmental and other disorders.
—American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA)

New System for HIV Drug Discovery
Olaf Kutsch, Ph.D., research assistant professor of medicine in UAB’s Department of Hematology/Oncology, has received an $83,000 GlaxoSmithKline Drug Discovery and Development Research Grant.
—University of Alabama at Birmingham