A newly released independent analysis of the Medicare-approved drug discount cards has found that average seniors participating in the new program will save over $1,200, on average, for their prescription drug purchases ЁC before the full Medicare drug benefit goes into effect in 2006.

The new study examined 150 prescription drugs used most often by those on Medicare, and found that many of the cards saving nearly 20 percent off the retail price of drugs. The report was conducted by the The Lewin Group, a nonpartisan nationally recognized economic analysis company.

This new report comes on the heels of other recent reviews — by the Kaiser Family Foundation, the American Enterprise Institute and Medicare — which have also documented the cost savings seniors are achieving.

“Despite some of the unfortunate misinformation going around, this new report, and others like it, show that seniors who don’t sign up for the Medicare approved drug discount cards are leaving money on the table. I again encourage seniors who need help to check out what is available,” said Sen. Larry Craig, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging.

The savings vary depending on the state you live in and which card you sign up for. In Craig’s home state of Idaho, for example, a typical senior will spend $3,444 on prescription medications during the eighteen month period before the full Medicare program goes into effect in January of 2006. During that time, the new study found that an Idaho senior with a Medicare-approved discount drug card could save $1,057.

Researchers said that low-income seniors would save the most money because they would receive $600 federal low-income credit to help them purchase their medications and be eligible for additional drug company help if and when their $600 in assistance has been spent. Under the new benefit program, low-income seniors who qualify will receive $600 in 2004 and another $600 in 2005 to help buy medications.

“Those that need help with their prescriptions should call 1-800-MEDICARE to find out how they can get the discount card that will best meet their needs. Telephone lines are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Over 3000 people are now available to answer your call, and waiting times are down to two minutes,” Craig said.

Before you call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800- 633-4227), Sen. Craig advises that you:

* Have with you a list of the names of the drugs you take, the size, and how often you take them.

* Know your total monthly income — you may qualify for the $600 per year in low income assistance. Your recent income statements or tax forms may be helpful in figuring out your monthly income.

The temporary Medicare-approved drug discount program will be replaced in 2006 when the full benefit goes into effect. Starting in 2006, about one in four seniors on Medicare will have a federal subsidy of 96-98 percent to cover their drug costs. Two out of every three seniors already have drug coverage from other sources which they can keep when the new program goes into effect.

Sign up to receive your own news THE CHAIRMAN OF THE U.S. SENATE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON AGING.

From the US Senate Special Committee on Aging

Oxygen levels in the lab can permanently alter human embryonic stem (ES) cells, specifically inducing X chromosome inactivation in female cells, according to Whitehead Institute researchers. Human ES cells have been routinely created and maintained at atmospheric levels of oxygen, which is about 20%. Cells in the body are usually exposed to only 1-9% oxygen.

“When human ES cells are isolated at 20% oxygen, they are stressed and they inactivate one X chromosome in female cells,” says Founding Whitehead Member Rudolf Jaenisch. “This argues that the conventional way to make human ES cells is not optimal. We’re not saying our method is the only way or the best possible way, but it is better than the conventional method.”

These results are published in the online issue of Cell.

Scientists are interested in human ES cells because they have the ability to mature into almost any cell type in the body, a trait known as pluripotency. Theoretically, this potential could be used to treat diseases or injuries.

“Also, human ES cells are the only tool we have to study the beginning of human development,” says Maisam Mitalipova, Director of the Whitehead Human Stem Cell Facility and designer of the study reported in Cell.

But human ES cells, even from the same cell lines, have been yielding different results in experiments. Inconsistent results may call into question an experiment’s methods or conclusions.

“The huge variation from lab to lab in culturing and isolating ES cells is one of the big problems in the field,” says Christopher Lengner, first author of the Cell paper and a postdoctoral researcher in the Jaenisch lab. “Just because of their growing conditions, the cells can be completely different from each other. So, we wanted to get back to the basics and really establish a ground state for how we isolate these cells and how we maintain them in the most pristine way possible.”

Human ES cells are usually derived from fertilized eggs that were designated for research by patients of in vitro fertilization (IVF) clinics. After an embryo grows to a ball of about 100 cells, researchers remove the ES cells. Traditionally, all of this work, from creating the fertilized eggs at the IVF clinic to the isolation and maintenance of the human ES cells in the lab, has been performed at atmospheric levels of oxygen. The resulting human ES cells display multiple differences in their genomes indicating they are at a slightly less flexible and pluripotent state than are mouse ES cells.

For example, after early random inactivation, female human ES cells always have the same X chromosome inactivated while mouse ES cells have two active X chromosomes until the cells begin differentiating, when one of the X chromosomes is randomly inactivated in each cell. X inactivation is vital for proper development in a female cell. If both X chromosomes are left active in an adult cell, the cell will have twice the expression of the X chromosome genes, which is fatal.

To test how oxygen levels during isolation and culture affect human ES cells, Mitalipova created six new human ES cell lines – two male and four female. Half of the cells isolated from each embryo were cultured in 20% oxygen, while the other half were created and maintained at 5% oxygen. The researchers then looked not only at the all of the genes expressed in these cells but also at their epigenetic state.

“When you expose the human ES cells to atmospheric oxygen for just a few days, the whole genome goes crazy – there are massive gene expression changes,” says Lengner.

But after a period of time the human ES cells adapt to the atmospheric oxygen and almost all of these changes normalized again, except for the X inactivation gene XIST, which remained strongly switched on. When Alexander Gimelbrant, who is Assistant Professor at Dana Farber Cancer Institute and co-first author of the article, checked, the female human ES cells exposed to 20% oxygen had one X chromosome permanently inactivated. However, the human ES cells derived at 5% oxygen did not exhibit the strong activation of the XIST gene, and both X chromosomes in the female cells remained active – an indication that these cells were in a more developmentally pristine state than their counterparts cultured in atmospheric oxygen.

Although this work focused on the effects of environmental oxygen levels, other factors may have similar negative effects on human ES cells.

“It seems that stress in general, like inefficiently freezing cells in the laboratory or embryos at the IVF clinic or manipulating the cells a lot, can make the cells inactivate an X chromosome and lose some pluripotency,” says Mitalipova.

Even if these stressors, including a high oxygen level, are eliminated, the human ES cells still are not as pluripotent as mouse ES cells.

However, in a paper published earlier this month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), Jacob Hanna in the Jaenisch lab describes two approaches to push existing and newly established human ES cells to the more pluripotent state seen in mouse ES cells. Hanna’s methods rely either on genes inserted into the ES cells’ DNA or on drugs added to the culture medium surrounding the cells, which appears to keep human ES cells in the more pluripotent state.

Notes:

This research was supported by Hillel and Liliana Bachrach and Susan Whitehead.

Rudolf Jaenisch’s primary affiliation is with Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, where his laboratory is located and all his research is conducted. He is also a professor of biology at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Full Citations:

“Derivation of pre-X inactivation human embryonic stem cells under physiological oxygen concentrations”

Cell, online May 13, 2010.

Christopher J. Lengner (1,11), Alexander A. Gimelbrant (4,5,11), Jennifer A. Erwin (6,7,8), Albert Wu Cheng (1,3), Matthew G. Guenther (1), G. Grant Welstead (1), Raaji Alagappan (1), Garrett M. Frampton (1,2), Ping Xu (1), Julien Muffat (1), Sandro Santagata (1), Doug Powers (9), C. Brent Barrett (10), Richard A. Young (1,2), Jeannie T. Lee (6,7,8), Rudolf Jaenisch (1,2) and Maisam Mitalipova (1).
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Sciences, 9 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
Department of Computational and Systems Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
Department of Cancer Biology, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Incept Biosystems, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, USA
Boston IVF, The Waltham Center, Waltham, MA 02451, USA
These authors contributed equally to this work

“Human embryonic stem cells with biological and epigenetic characteristics similar to those of mouse ESCs”


PNAS, May 3, 2010.

Jacob Hanna (1), Albert W. Cheng (1,2), Krishanu Saha (1), Jongpil Kim (1), Frank Soldner (1), John P. Cassady (1,3), Christopher J. Lengner (1), Bryce W. Carey (1,3), and Rudolf Jaenisch (1,3).
The Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA 02142.
Computational & Systems Biology Program, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142.
Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142.

Source:
Nicole Giese
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Sangart, Inc., has announced positive results from its Phase IIa proof-of-concept study of MP4OX (oxygenated pegylated hemoglobin) in severely injured trauma patients with hemorrhagic shock causing lactic acidosis. The study demonstrated that MP4OX, when given in addition to standard of care, was effective at decreasing lactate levels in treated patients. During hemorrhagic shock, inadequate perfusion of critical organs can lead to insufficient oxygenation of tissues, which can be detected by an increase in lactate levels. MP4OX is a novel oxygen therapeutic agent that is designed to provide rapid oxygen delivery to ischemic tissues.

Study data show a statistically significant greater immediate and sustained decrease of lactic acid in patients treated with MP4OX compared to patients in the control group. The study also found that a greater proportion of patients treated with MP4OX were able to attain normal lactate levels as early as four hours post-treatment. Furthermore, data demonstrated a strong trend toward outcomes benefits through multiple measures, including reducing the average total number of days patients spent in hospital. In patients treated with MP4OX, the median hospital stay was half that of the control group. Serious adverse events were of equal rates and similar in nature between the MP4OX-treated and control groups.

“Trauma patients suffer organ dysfunction from shock and lack of oxygen supply to vital tissues. Prolonged lactic acidosis, a marker of shock, correlates with a worse outcome and higher mortality rate. This study suggests that MP4OX has the ability to improve oxygen delivery to the body and subsequently reduce organ failure and other complications.” said Karim Brohi, Professor of Trauma Sciences at Barts and the London School of Medicine & Dentistry and lead study investigator. “We are excited by the results from this study as they suggest that MP4OX has the potential to improve patient outcomes compared to the current standard of care in trauma.”

The clinical trial was a multi-center, randomized, double-blind, controlled study that enrolled 51 patients who suffered trauma-induced severe hemorrhagic shock across 11 clinical sites in the United Kingdom, Germany, France and South Africa. The primary objective of the study was to measure reduction in lactate levels after infusion of MP4OX.

“The positive safety and efficacy data from this trial suggest that MP4OX could be a promising new treatment option for patients suffering an acute traumatic injury,” said Brian O’Callaghan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Sangart. “Based on these results, we plan to further development and clinical evaluation of MP4OX and initiate Phase IIb clinical studies in trauma patients. This study further reinforces the promise of our MP4 platform in the development of medicines designed to enhance the delivery of oxygen to tissues and organs that are oxygen deprived.”

About Trauma

Traumatic injuries, including both penetrating trauma injuries such as bullet and knife wounds and blunt trauma from car accidents and falls, cause the death of over 5 million people each year world-wide. Trauma is the leading cause of death in people under the age of 44. Despite optimal care, many patients treated for traumatic injuries suffer organ dysfunction and failure. Elevated lactate levels (lactic acidosis), which indicate hypoperfusion and anaerobic metabolism (oxygen deprivation) in tissues and organs in the body, represent metabolic failure and also cardiovascular, renal and hepatic dysfunction. Prolonged lactic acidosis correlates with worse outcomes and higher mortality.

About MP4

Sangart’s product platform is based on the MP4 molecule, an investigational biopharmaceutical product designed to enhance the perfusion of oxygen-deprived (ischemic) tissues and provide targeted oxygen delivery in the capillaries. Using a novel pegylation approach, Sangart produces the MP4 molecule designed at the optimal oxygen affinity, diffusion potential and molecular size to perfuse capillaries and target oxygen delivery to tissues specifically at risk of ischemia.

Source:
Lauren Hamilton
Edelman Public Relations

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of sanofi-aventis Group
(EURONEXT : SAN and NYSE : SNY), announced today that its investigational
tetravalent dengue vaccine is entering into a pediatric clinical study in
Thailand to assess the efficacy of the vaccine in protecting children against
dengue, the most widespread tropical disease after malaria. Sanofi Pasteur’s
tetravalent dengue vaccine candidate is the first to reach this stage of
clinical development.

Sanofi Pasteur is collaborating with Mahidol University of
Thailand, the Ministry of Public Health, and the Pediatric Dengue Vaccine
Initiative (PDVI) to conduct this efficacy study in the province of
Ratchaburi.

“Large scale pediatric studies are instrumental for the
development of a safe and efficacious dengue vaccine to protect against a
disease that primarily affects children,” said Dr. Pratap Singhasivanon, Dean
of the Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University. “We are happy to
contribute to an important milestone with the actual start of an efficacy
study in Ratchaburi.”

The Sanofi Pasteur clinical study program follows guidelines
from the Initiative for Vaccine Research (IVR) led by the World Health
Organization (WHO), which fosters the global efforts towards dengue vaccine
development.

“WHO is committed to the availability of a dengue vaccine that
will ultimately benefit children in endemic countries,” said Dr. Joachim
Hombach, Coordinator Implementation Research for IVR, WHO.

About Sanofi Pasteur dengue vaccine global clinical study
program

Sanofi Pasteur started the development of a dengue vaccine in
the 90′s. Clinical studies with the most advanced tetravalent candidate
vaccine started in the 2000′s. In a study in the United States, immunization
with three doses of Sanofi Pasteur’s tetravalent dengue vaccine candidate
generated a sero-neutralizing antibody response against all four serotypes of
the virus responsible for dengue fever in 100 percent of adults who
participated in the trial(1). The Sanofi Pasteur dengue vaccine research
program includes ongoing clinical studies in Mexico, Peru, and The
Philippines with adults and children.

About dengue fever

Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne disease caused by four types
of dengue viruses (type 1 to 4). Overall, the disease is a potential threat
for almost half the world’s population. Of the estimated 230 million people
infected annually, two million, mostly children, develop dengue hemorrhagic
fever (DHF), a severe form of the disease(2). DHF is a leading cause of
hospitalization in South-East Asia, placing tremendous pressure on strained
medical resources.

Dengue fever occurs mostly in tropical and subtropical
countries and is spreading to new parts of the globe each year. The WHO has
warned that the Western Pacific Region may be heading for a major dengue
outbreak(3). Outbreaks recently have been observed in Paraguay and the Middle
East. In addition, dengue affects countries such as Australia (Queensland)
and the United States (Puerto Rico, Texas-Mexico border, Hawaii and the
US-affiliated Pacific Islands). A substantial number of people traveling to
endemic regions are also infected each year.

About sanofi-aventis

Sanofi-aventis, a leading global pharmaceutical company,
discovers, develops and distributes therapeutic solutions to improve the
lives of everyone. Sanofi-aventis is listed in Paris (EURONEXT: SAN) and in
New York (NYSE: SNY).

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of sanofi-aventis Group, provided
more than 1.6 billion doses of vaccine in 2008, making it possible to
immunize more than 500 million people across the globe. A world leader in the
vaccine industry, Sanofi Pasteur offers the broadest range of vaccines
protecting against 20 infectious diseases. The company’s heritage, to create
vaccines that protect life, dates back more than a century. Sanofi Pasteur is
the largest company entirely dedicated to vaccines. Every day, the company
invests more than EUR 1 million in research and development. For more
information, please visit: sanofipasteur

References:

1. Data generated by the WHO Flavivirus Laboratory Reference Center,
Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand, presented at the American Society of
Tropical Medicine and Hygiene’s (ASTMH) 56th annual meeting held in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

2. Pediatric Dengue Vaccine Initiative (PDVI), presentation “Estimating
the global burden of dengue” at 2nd Int Conf on Dengue & DHF, 15-17 Oct 08 ,
Phuket, Thailand

3. WHO alarmed about the spread of dengue,
wpro.who.int/media_centre/press_releases/pr_23072007.htm

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements as
defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended.
Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts.
These statements include product development, product potential projections
and estimates and their underlying assumptions, statements regarding plans,
objectives, intentions and expectations with respect to future events,
operations, products and services, and statements regarding future
performance. Forward-looking statements are generally identified by the words
“expects,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “intends,” “estimates,” “plans” and
similar expressions. Although sanofi-aventis’ management believes that the
expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable,
investors are cautioned that forward-looking information and statements are
subject to various risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to
predict and generally beyond the control of sanofi-aventis, that could cause
actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed in,
or implied or projected by, the forward-looking information and statements.
These risks and uncertainties include among other things, the uncertainties
inherent in research and development, future clinical data and analysis,
including post marketing, decisions by regulatory authorities, such as the
FDA or the EMEA, regarding whether and when to approve any drug, device or
biological application that may be filed for any such product candidates as
well as their decisions regarding labelling and other matters that could
affect the availability or commercial potential of such products candidates,
the absence of guarantee that the products candidates if approved will be
commercially successful, the future approval and commercial success of
therapeutic alternatives as well as those discussed or identified in the
public filings with the SEC and the AMF made by sanofi-aventis, including
those listed under “Risk Factors” and “Cautionary Statement Regarding
Forward-Looking Statements” in sanofi-aventis’ annual report on Form 20-F for
the year ended December 31, 2007. Other than as required by applicable law,
sanofi-aventis does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any
forward-looking information or statements.

Sanofi Pasteur

A new study analyzing the prevalence of sensory impairment among older U.S. workers found that hearing impairment prevalence was three times that of visual impairment, and that 38 percent of older workers reported experiencing either impairment.

Using 1997-2004 national survey data, researchers evaluated the prevalence of sensory impairment among U.S. workers age 65 years and older. Farm operators, mechanics and motor vehicle operators had the highest prevalence of sensory impairment.

The study’s authors conclude, “Our findings suggest a need for preventative measures among potentially vulnerable worker groups with sensory impairment. Research is needed to determine whether sensory aids and other workplace accommodations enhance worker productivity and job satisfaction as well as reduce injury risk.”

Source
American Journal of Public Health

A common smoking cessation therapy used to help reduce adverse events associated with nicotine withdrawal may actually increase the risk of death for smokers admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). In a new study presented at CHEST 2006, the 72nd annual international scientific assembly of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), researchers found that smokers admitted to the ICU who received nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) during their stay had a higher risk of death than smokers who did not receive NRT.

“In some critically ill patients, the development of nicotine withdrawal symptoms can worsen their prognosis. As a result, NRT is given to active smokers in the ICU to prevent nicotine withdrawal symptoms,” said lead researcher Amy Lee, MD, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Minneapolis, MN. “The hemodynamic effects of nicotine may lead to increased heart rate, systemic arterial blood pressure, and constriction of the coronary arteries. Although these potential adverse effects of NRT have not been shown to worsen the prognosis of healthy volunteers and patients with stable coronary artery disease, they may be detrimental in critically ill patients.”

Lee and colleagues examined the safety of NRT in the ICU by reviewing the medical records of 112 smoking patients admitted to the ICU who received NRT during their stay. Researchers compared patient outcomes between the NRT group and a control group. Among the patients who received NRT, 18 deaths (16.1%) occurred, compared with the 3 deaths (2.7%) in the control group. The hospital mortality rate was 21.4% for the NRT group, compared with 5.4% in the control group. Furthermore, when researchers controlled for severity of illness, NRT was found to be an independent risk factor for mortality (odds ratio 17.0).

There were no statistically significant differences in age, gender, ethnicity, and severity of illness measured by APACHE III prognostic model between the NRT and control groups. The median ICU length of stay for the NRT group was 24.4 (16.1 – 63.6) hours, compared with 22.6 (14.0 – 42.8) hours for the control group. The median hospital length of stay was 29.6 (18.3 – 127.1) hours, compared with 46.2 (19.8 – 117.3) hours for the control group.

“Although administering nicotine replacement therapy to smokers in the ICU is not a standard practice, some ICUs have nurse-driven protocols aimed at providing NRT for active smokers. We expect NRT to be more widely used in such ICUs,” said senior author Bekele Afessa, MD, FCCP, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine. Common signs of nicotine withdrawal include craving, irritability, depression, restlessness, and sleep disturbances. However, researchers caution that, because of other conditions that mimic nicotine withdrawal in the critically ill, to may be difficult to make an accurate diagnosis.

“Minimizing the effects of nicotine withdrawal in critically ill patients who smoke can present a significant challenge to the ICU team,” said Mark J. Rosen, MD, FCCP, President of the American College of Chest Physicians. “The findings of this study are intriguing and reinforce the need for additional research regarding the effects of nicotine replacement therapy on patients in the ICU.”

CHEST 2006 is the 72nd annual international scientific assembly of the American College of Chest Physicians, held October 21-26 in Salt Lake City, UT. ACCP represents 16,500 members who provide clinical respiratory, critical care, sleep, and cardiothoracic patient care in the United States and throughout the world. The ACCP’s mission is to promote the prevention and treatment of diseases of the chest through leadership, education, research, and communication.

Chest
Published by:
American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP)
3300 Dundee Rd.
Northbrook, IL 60062
United States
www.chestnet

Western Reserve Heart Care, a
cardiology testing and treatment facility, recently opened a full service
vascular lab to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of peripheral arterial
disease, carotid artery disease, abdominal aortic aneurysm and deep vein
thrombosis. These services complement the full spectrum of ICAEL and
ICANL-certified cardiac testing available at Western Reserve Heart Care,
including echocardiography and nuclear stress testing.

“By offering vascular screening, diagnosis and treatment from our lab
in Hudson, we are able to care for patients with an increased risk of heart
attack or stroke effectively, right here within the community,” said Dr.
Emil Hayak, founder and medical director of Western Reserve Heart Care.
“This is one of the few vascular labs of this type in Northeast Ohio.”

Tests performed include evaluations of circulation in the legs, veins
for blood clots, carotid arteries to evaluate for potential stroke risk,
and abdominal aorta to assess potential aneurysms. The vascular laboratory
offers a comprehensive array of non-invasive tests including the
ankle-brachial index (ABI), carotid duplex ultrasonography, abdominal
ultrasound, and the venous doppler ultrasonography.

Dr. Brendan Duffy will be overseeing operations, diagnosis, and patient
care at the vascular center. Dr. Duffy joined Western Reserve Heart Care in
July and is a vascular specialist in the diagnosis and treatment of
arterial disease.

Western Reserve Heart Care received its echocardiography accreditation
from the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Echocardiography
Laboratories (ICAEL) in December 2007, and its nuclear medicine
accreditation from the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of
Nuclear Medicine Laboratories (ICANL) in March of 2008.

Western Reserve Heart Care’s friendly environment and in-house
equipment provide a much less stressful alternative to a hospital visit.
The facility itself was designed with patient comfort in mind, with ample
parking and comfortable patient waiting areas.

Western Reserve Heart Care
WesternReserveHeartCare

You’d think that people choosing to live near to outdoor recreation amenities would have a lower body mass index or BMI thanks to an increase in all that healthy outdoor activity right on one’s doorstep. Yet a new University of Alberta study looking at the relationship between reasons for choosing a neighbourhood to live in, physical activity and BMI, shows that’s simply not the case.

In fact researchers found that those who said they’d moved to be closer to outdoor recreation opportunities actually showed a marked increase in BMI over the six years of a longitudinal study conducted from 2002 to 2008, and led by Tanya Berry of the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation.

“(One of the things we analysed) in this paper was the movers and non-movers,” says Berry. “Those who had moved over the six years of the study and had indicated that choosing a neighbourhood for ease of walking was very important to them had a very stable BMI and didn’t change much over the six years.

“But the results for the question related to choosing to live near outdoor recreation facilities were completely the opposite from what we would have thought. The more people said they chose their neighbourhood because of its access to outdoor recreation, the higher their BMI. We can speculate that maybe they’re doing it for the kids; maybe they’re driving to the outdoor places. And we don’t know how they defined ‘outdoor recreation.’ It could be camping and lazing about or it could be cross-country skiing, but we found pretty big differences in their activity output.”

Berry and her team conducted two studies, one longitudinal (from 2002 – 2008 with 822 participants) and one cross-sectional (2008 with 1505 participants), to look at the relationship between BMI and neighbourhood walkability, socio-economic status, reasons for choosing their neighbourhood, how physically active they were, fruit and vegetable intake, and demographic variables, such as age, gender, job status and education, which were gleaned from census data.

Berry says the relationship between those who chose to move to a walkable neighbourhood and BMI was clear. “For those people who had moved for ease of walking and thought it was important, their BMIs didn’t change and they were able to maintain their weight. But for those for whom it was not important at all, they showed an increase in BMI and that was matched with the cross-sectional data.”

Berry says that, as expected, those in lower socio-economic status (SES) neighbourhoods had higher BMIs. “That’s completely consistent with the literature. There is so much more access to fast food restaurants; there are fewer grocery stores; it may not very pleasant to be active in your neighbourhood. So there’s a whole host of issues (that need to be addressed.)

Socio-economic status is an important factor and we really should be paying more attention to how to help people in lower SES neighbourhoods overcome the barriers they face to health,” Berry says.

She concludes, “Those who are choosing neighbourhoods because they can walk are, at least in terms of BMI, the healthiest of all. So this is a very important factor in the built environment/BMI relationship and needs further study.”

The study, “A longitudinal and cross-sectional examination of the relationship between reasons for choosing a neighbourhood, physical activity and body mass index” was published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity.

Source:
Jane Hurly
University of Alberta – Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation

The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) has begun enrollment for the first Phase I safety study approved by the Food and Drug Administration to investigate the use of a child’s own umbilical cord blood stem cells for traumatic brain injury in children. The study is being performed in conjunction with Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital, UTHealth’s primary children’s teaching hospital.

The innovative study, which builds on UTHealth’s growing portfolio of research using stem cell-based therapies for neurological damage, is led by principal investigator Charles S. Cox, the Children’s Fund Distinguished Professor of Pediatric Surgery and Pediatrics at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, part of UTHealth, and director of the pediatric trauma program at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital. It will enroll 10 children ages 18 months to 17 years who have umbilical cord blood banked with Cord Blood Registry (CBR) and have suffered moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). The study is not designed for acute care and will only enroll participants within 6-18 months of their injury.

Although the neurologic outcome for nearly all types of brain injury (with the exception of abuse) is better for children than adults, trauma is the leading cause of death in children, and the majority of the deaths are attributed to head injury.

“Using cord blood is a critical link in the next step of UTHealth’s programmatic approach to researching stem cell therapies for brain injury,” Cox said. “Implementing this novel therapy has required strong partnerships with Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital and the CBR Center for Regenerative Medicine, and is possible through a critical infrastructure investment by the state of Texas and private philanthropy.”

To enroll in the study, parents or caregivers of patients who have suffered a traumatic brain injury should contact CBR and after consent is obtained, the information will be relayed to the UTHealth research group. If all qualifications are met, the patient will travel to Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital.. The cells will be processed and intravenously infused. Patients will be followed at six months, one year and two years.

A recently completed Phase I study at UTHealth (publication in press), which investigated a bone-marrow stem cell therapy in children with acute traumatic brain injury, revealed positive safety results, Cox said.

The FDA-authorized protocol is specific to the standardized processing and storage protocol of CBR, making it the only family stem cell bank providing patients for the study.

“This study is at the forefront of research evaluating a child’s own cord blood stem cells’ ability to help facilitate the healing process after damage to nerve tissue in the brain,” said Heather Brown, vice president of scientific & medical affairs at Cord Blood Registry. “CBR is helping advance medical research for regenerative therapies by connecting the child whose family banked with CBR to appropriate researchers.”

Source:

University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

Animal welfare organisations, veterinary professionals and local authorities yesterday joined forces to condemn the much-criticised Dangerous Dogs Act, demanding that it must be replaced by a hard-hitting new Dog Control Bill focusing on prevention rather than cure.

Existing legislation has failed to reduce the number of dog bite incidents in the UK, which have risen in the past five years by 79% in London and 43% nationally*. Meanwhile costs have continued to rise; it was revealed that 10 million pounds has been spent by the Metropolitan Police alone in the past 3 years simply to implement Section 1 of the Dangerous Dogs Act, relating to the seizure, kennelling and euthanasia of banned breeds.

The Dangerous Dogs Act Study Group (DDASG) has lobbied against the inadequacies of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 for many years and members of the group are now backing a new Dog Control Bill proposed by Lib Dem peer Lord Redesdale, which will receive its second reading in the House of Lords on Friday (9th July). This Bill would consolidate previous legislation and better protect the public by targeting the cause of dog attacks – dog owners themselves.

Lord Redesdale commented: “People deserve to feel safe around dogs and this Bill goes a long way towards protecting the public through tougher action against irresponsible dog owners. The current law has done nothing but make banned breeds and their lookalikes more appealing and created the issue of status dogs because they are a status symbol.

“Owners of aggressive or violent dogs of any kind would be brought to account with this Bill, which in turn will prevent a large number of attacks by dealing with problem behaviour at the first signs of aggression rather than when an attack has taken place, as in current legislation”.

If passed, the Bill will introduce major changes to current dangerous dog legislation, which is widely considered to be one of the most ineffective pieces of government legislation ever brought into force. These changes include

– More emphasis on the owner’s responsibilities – the Bill supports the principle that it is the owner who has the potential to make a dog either well-behaved or badly-behaved. It gives authorised officers the powers to place Dog Control Notices on irresponsible owners at the first signs of dog aggression.

– Attacks which take place on private property would also become a criminal offence – a large number of dog attack incidents occur within the home and on private property. The Bill includes various exemptions such as being attacked by another animal, provocation, and attacks on individuals committing an offence for which they could be imprisoned.

– Legislation will no longer be breed specific – since the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, public money and resources have been wasted by already overstretched police authorities seizing dogs simply for being of a particular breed or type. Research now overwhelmingly supports the principle of ‘deed not breed’, and proves that genetics (breed) play only a limited part in the temperament of an individual dog, with environment and training having a far greater effect.

The DDASG has been working closely with Lord Redesdale in support of his Dog Control Bill and has long been calling on the government to repeal the current legislation. The Group believes that the breed specific nature of current legislation has caused it to fail, and that focusing on individual breeds has failed to prevent a large number of dog attacks, or reduce the number of Pit Bull Terriers in the UK.

DDASG Chairman Chris Laurence, Veterinary Director of Dogs Trust, said: “We firmly believe that the Dangerous Dogs Act needs to be overhauled to better protect the public and that a new dog control regime that emphasises responsible dog ownership should be introduced.

“The Dog Control Bill supports the principle that it is people, not the dogs themselves that make dogs dangerous. Lord Redesdale’s Bill would allow people to be better protected from dangerous dogs with tougher action taken against irresponsible dog owners.”

The Dangerous Dogs Act Study Group has also launched a petition supporting Lord Redesdale’s Dog Control Bill which already has almost 10,000 signatures.

Notes

1. *Figures quoted from London Dangerous Dog Forum Evidence Base Research Paper and available on request.

2. The Dangerous Dogs Act Study Group (DDASG) is a wide-ranging group representing animal welfare, local authorities and veterinary professional organisations and includes representation from Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, Blue Cross, Mayhew Animal Home, British Veterinary Association, Dogs Trust, Kennel Club, Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, Wandsworth Borough Council, Wood Green Animal Shelters. The DDASG considers that the Dangerous Dogs Act needs to be overhauled to better protect the public and that a new dog control regime which emphasises responsible dog ownership should be introduced.

3. Lord Redesdale’s Private Members Bill provides for the following

– Repeal of the Dogs Act 1871, the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 and the Dangerous Dogs (Amendment) Act 1997 including breed specific legislation

The police expend significant resources on enforcement of the Dangerous Dogs Act, with large amounts of money being spent on the seizure and kennelling of dogs simply because of their breed type – many of these dogs are returned to their owners once proved to be of good temperament. Removing breed specific legislation would allow resources to be used more effectively elsewhere, and preferably concentrated on those dogs showing unprovoked aggression.

– Introduce Dog Control Notices

The vast majority of dog attacks are a result of the irresponsible actions of dog owners, who have either not taken the time and trouble to train their dog correctly, or have indeed trained the dog to behave aggressively. Dog Control Notices will apply to all types of dog that have acted dangerously without provocation, caused an injury to another animal, caused harm, or caused a person to reasonably believe it will cause harm and aims to prevent serious incidents of aggression occurring by allowing preventative action.

– Apply to both public AND private places

A large proportion of dog attacks occur in the home and involve a dog that is known to the victim. The Dog Control Bill will make attacks that take place on private property a criminal offence. Greater responsibility is therefore placed on owners to ensure that their dogs are not out of control in any place.

Source:
British Veterinary Association