Popular Articles

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.

The Score Project (Stove For Cooking, Refrigeration And Electricity) Designed To Help Rural Communities In Africa And Asia
A low-cost generator with the potential to transform lives in the world"s poorest communities is now being tested across the UK and in Nepal. The Score project, led by The University of Nottingham, is developing a bio-mass burning cooking stove which also converts heat into acoustic energy and then into electricity, all in one unit.
News of the day
Global Fund-Financed Programs Reaching More People, Report Shows
The most recent statistics on programs funded in 140 countries through the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria released Wednesday reveal "[m]ore than 2 million people living with HIV have been reached with life-saving treatment," the UN News Centre reports (7/8).
Endocrinology

Special Reconstruction Method Improves Postoperative Quality Of Life In Gastric Cancer Patients

Given equivalent results with regards to survival, the impact of anastomotic methods on QOL becomes even more important. There is still no consensus on how to choose a reconstruction method for proximal gastrectomy in patients with upper third gastric cancer. A research article published in the World Journal of Gastroenterology addresses this question. The research team led by Professor Xu from the State Key Department of General Surgery, Department of Surgical Oncology, First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, investigated QOL of 149 patients with upper third gastric cancer, who were treated with proximal gastrectomy with additional reconstruction. QOL assessments that included functional outcomes (a 24-item survey about treatment-specific symptoms, largely gastrointestinal function) and health perception (Spitzer QOL Index) were performed in 149 patients with gastric cancer. When QOL for the three reconstruction methods was compared, the EA procedure showed the best postoperative QOL, such as recovery of body weight, less postprandial discomfort, and less heart burn or belching at 6 and 24 mo postoperatively. However, the survival rates and Spitzer QOL index were similar among the three groups. These results demonstrated that, to avoid postoperative symptoms and improve QOL for patients with upper third gastric cancer after proximal gastrectomy, the EA procedure using a stapler is a safe and feasible procedure for reconstruction. Reference: Zhang H, Sun Z, Xu HM, Shan JX, Wang SB, Chen JQ. Improved quality of life in patients with gastric cancer after esophagogastrostomy reconstruction. World J Gastroenterol 2009; 15(25): 3183-3190 http://www.wjgnet.com/1007-9327/15/3183.asp Correspondence to: Dr. Hui-Mian Xu, State Key Department of General Surgery, Department of Surgical Oncology, First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110001, Liaoning Province, China. Lin Tian World Journal of Gastroenterology


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