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American Association for Dental Research Releases Its Statement On Oral Health Care Within Health Care Reform
On July 14, the American Association for Dental Research released its policy statement titled "Oral Health Care within Health Care Reform," which focuses on the scientific base of oral health and its associations to other aspects of health.
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Advocates Express Concern About Embryonic Stem Cell Research Guidelines As Comment Period Closes
Supporters of embryonic stem cell research have expressed concern about the impact on existing research efforts under the Obama administration"s draft guidelines outlining criteria for federal funding of stem cell research, the Washington Post reports. The public comment period for the guidelines ends Tuesday and has generated more than 20,000 comments addressing nearly every element of the proposal. The guidelines, which NIH issued in April, propose limiting federal funding for the research to stem cells derived from unused embryos created for fertility treatments and willingly donated by patients who have given written consent. Former President George W. Bush in August 2001 enacted restrictions limiting federal funding for the research to the 21 stem cell lines existing at the time. Although President Obama in March signed an executive order lifting Bush"s restrictions, some proponents of embryonic stem cell research have suggested that Obama"s plan could actually jeopardize many existing research efforts. The Obama administration is expected to issue its final version of the guidelines by July 7, the Post reports.After Bush restricted federal funding to the embryonic stem cell lines already in existence, many researchers turned to private donors and state governments for the financial support to create hundreds of new lines. Although supporters of the research initially were pleased that the Obama administration"s guidelines would allow federal funding for research on these new existing lines, some are now concerned that certain stipulations in the new guidelines could actually disqualify these research efforts from receiving federal funding. For example, NIH"s proposal requires that couples who wish to donate unused embryos for research sign a consent form indicating that they were fully informed of their alternatives. Although many fertility clinics provide information for couples about their other options, few clinics note these details in written consent forms, according to the Post. Therefore, existing stem cell lines derived from embryos donated by couples who did not sign the required consent forms could be ineligible under NIH"s draft proposal, the Post reports. In addition, many stem cell research supporters also expressed disappointment that only unused embryos created for fertility treatments would be eligible for federal funding.George Daley of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute said that the Obama administration"s guidelines "take 2009 standards and attempt to apply them retroactively, which isn"t really a standard that would allow most of the pre-existing lines to be acceptable for NIH funding." Lawrence Goldstein, director of the University of California-San Diego"s stem cell program, said, "It"s not that past practices were shoddy. But they don"t necessarily meet every letter of the new guidelines moving forward." Goldstein added that researchers would "have to throw everything out and start all over again" under the new proposed guidelines. Amy Comstock Rick, CEO of the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research, said that her group is "very concerned" about the funding prospects for existing research efforts, adding that if NIH officials do not modify the guidelines, "very little current research would be eligible" to receive federal funds. However, Raynard Kington, acting NIH director, said the agency is aware of the concerns and "will take them into consideration." He added that "it"s unambiguous that the intent of the president was to expand opportunities and research in this area," as long as such research is "scientifically worthy" and "ethically responsible" (Stein, Washington Post, 5/25).
News of the day
Stroke Patients Who Have Swallowing Problems Less Likely To Develop Chest Infections Thanks To New Technology
Recovering stroke patients and others who find it hard to swallow when they eat and drink are now at a lower risk of developing pneumonia or chest infections, thanks to new technology which will help assess and treat their swallowing difficulties. Many patients suffering from stroke, head injury or major trauma often have swallowing difficulties when food and drink can go down the wrong way - patients can later develop nasty chest infections and pneumonias.
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Reports From The White House And Kaiser Family Foundation Address Health Care Disparities

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and White House Health Czar Nancy Ann DeParle held a discussion of minority health issues at the White House yesterday, where Sebelius "said the Obama administration is committed to addressing the "alarming disparity in the delivery of quality health care"," which she said was necessary to lower costs, the Associated Press reports. The White House also "issued a summary report on minority health care showing that African-Americans are seven times more likely as whites to have HIV/AIDS, that blacks and Hispanics have diabetes rates nearly twice as high as whites, and that black men are 50 percent more likely than whites to have prostate cancer" (Evans, 6/9). Kaiser Health News adds that "among the ideas bandied about from the two dozen stakeholder groups, ranging from the National Hispanic Medical Association and the NAACP to the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights and the Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities Coalition, were improving access to specialty care for minorities and making sure that doctors understand the patients they"re dealing with culturally, economically and gender-specifically" (Villegas, 6/9). A separate report released by the Connecticut Office of Health Care Access yesterday found that the "number of uninsured people seeking hospital care declined in fiscal year 2008," but "the cost of hospital stays for patients without insurance has soared more than 40 percent since 2005," the Hartford Courant reports. "Even with fewer uninsured, costs rose because hospital charges are increasing - typically 6 percent or more a year - and those without insurance are typically older and have more chronic illnesses." Cristine Vogel, commissioner of the Connecticut Office of Health Care Access, said hospitals are trying to register patients for a Medicaid program in order to avoid a lack of insurance. The report "broke down how uninsured hospital stays are distributed by race. Hispanics, about 12 percent of the state"s population, account for about one quarter of uninsured hospital stays. Black people, about 10 percent of the population, represent 16 percent of the uninsured stays" (Gosselin, 6/10). Meanwhile, The Washington Post details findings from a Kaiser Family Foundation study released today. The report found, based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as a federal Current Population Survey, that "there is a large disparity in the incidence of certain chronic diseases between black and white women." The study reflected health statistics in the states and the District of Columbia (Fears, 6/10). "Women of color in every state, including Georgia, generally lag behind their white counterparts when it comes to health and access to care," according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, based on the report"s findings. "Disparities exist across all states for basically all measures," said Cara V. James, lead author of "Putting Women"s Health Care Disparities on the Map: Examining Racial and Ethnic Disparities at the State Level." She told the AJC that differences varied widely in some states. "In others, white women and women of color are struggling equally. James hopes the study will help states develop strategies to combat health inequities" (Poole, 6/10). This information was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with kind permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives and sign up for email delivery at kaiserhealthnews.org. © Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.


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