Popular Articles

Northeast Colorado Conference Discusses HIV/AIDS Needs Assessment Findings
Rural Solutions, an organization in northeast Colorado, held the "Community HIV/AIDS Education and Action Conference" as part of its ongoing effort to address issues related to HIV, the Sterling Journal-Advocate reports. At the conference, the organization presented the results of a recent needs assessment of HIV/AIDS services in the northeastern part of the state - conducted in partnership with the Center for Research Strategies and funded through the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment - which found that HIV prevention services in the area are limited; barriers exist for HIV testing including confidentiality and costs; and mental health and substance use services for at-risk people also are limited, according to the Journal-Advocate (Jones, Sterling Journal-Advocate, 6/17).

Hunger Hormone Fired Up By Fatty Foods, Not Empty Stomach
New research led by the University of Cincinnati (UC) suggests that the hunger hormone ghrelin is activated by fats from the foods we eat - not those made in the body - in order to optimize nutrient metabolism and promote the storage of body fat.
News of the day
Offshore Industry Making Good Progress On Safety, But Sustained Effort Required, UK
18 months on from the landmark KP3 report, a "snapshot" review concludes that though the safety of the UK"s offshore installations is improving, the work is by no means complete and will require sustained effort and investment.
Diagnostics

Merck Issues Statement On WHO Study Showing First Evidence That Elimination Of River Blindness Is Feasible In Africa

Merck & Co., Inc. issued the following statement in response to study results published today by the World Health Organization offering the first evidence that elimination of the tropical disease river blindness (onchocerciasis) in Africa is feasible with treatment with ivermectin (registered trademark Mectizan®). As the discoverer and manufacturer of Mectizan, Merck decided in 1987 to donate the drug to all who need it for as long as necessary until river blindness is eliminated as a public health problem. The Merck Mectizan Donation Program is one of the longest-running disease-specific drug donation and public/private partnership programs in history. "When Merck made the decision more than 20 years ago to donate Mectizan to help fight river blindness, we dreamed that a milestone like this might some day be possible," said Richard T. Clark, chairman, president and CEO, Merck & Co., Inc. "It gives me and thousands of Merck employees and retirees enormous satisfaction and pride to know we are playing a role in eliminating a dreaded disease that has ravaged villages and millions of people and generations of families." Since the program"s inception, Merck has donated 2.5 billion tablets of Mectizan at an estimated value of $3.75 billion. Recently, Merck pledged up to $25 million in support of an initiative with the World Bank, the World Health Organization and other partners to eliminate the disease in Africa. The Mectizan Donation Program now reaches more than 80 million people in Africa, Latin America and Yemen annually. For more information about the Merck Mectizan Donation Program and Merck"s corporate responsibility efforts, visit here. Merck


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