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Martinez: Fixing Long-Term Care, Starting With The Census
U.S. Senator Mel Martinez (R-FL) introduced an effort aimed at updating the U.S. Census" current function questions to better improve our nation"s long-term care services and support systems. By replacing a small portion of the survey with standardized function questions used by medical providers, the Disability Data Modernization Act will provide more accurately collected data used for planning the future health care needs of elderly and disabled Americans.

Promising Antimicrobial Attacks Virus, Stimulates Immune System
A promising antimicrobial agent already known to kill bacteria can also kill viruses and stimulate the innate immune system, according to researchers at National Jewish Health. In a paper appearing online June 4 in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, Michael Howell, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, and his colleagues demonstrated that the synthetic compound CSA-13 can kill vaccinia virus in cell cultures and in mice. Additionally, they showed that CSA-13 stimulates cells to produce their own antimicrobial proteins.
News of the day
Clinical Lab Market In China Booming Despite Recession
Diagnostic companies looking for growth in a tough economy can still find a vibrant market for their products in China, says a leading healthcare market research publisher. IVD markets in China will grow to more than $1.5 billion in 2009, making it the world"s sixth largest IVD market. The last few years have seen market growth of 15-20%. With about 575 new hospitals opening each year and a government plan to open more than 20,000 health clinics, the lab market is booming, according to a new report, "Who is Who in Clinical Diagnostics in China (Manufacturers and Distributors Profiles, Market, Industry Overview)," from Kalorama Information, in partnership with IVD market research firm McEvoy & Farmer.
Mental Health

Study Uncovers How Tiny Levels Of Carbon Monoxide Damage Fetal Brain

A UCLA study has discovered that chronic exposure during pregnancy to miniscule levels of carbon monoxide damages the cells of the fetal brain, resulting in permanent impairment. The journal BMC (BioMed Central) Neuroscience published the findings June 22 in its online edition. "We expected the placenta to protect fetuses from the mother"s exposure to tiny amounts of carbon monoxide," said John Edmond, professor emeritus of biological chemistry at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. "But we found that not to be the case." The researchers exposed pregnant rats to 25 parts per million carbon monoxide in the air, an exposure level established as safe by Cal/OSHA, California"s division of occupational health and safety. Dr. Ivan Lopez, UCLA associate professor of head and neck surgery, tested the rats" litters 20 days after birth. Rats born to animals who had inhaled the gas suffered chronic oxidative stress, a harmful condition caused by an excess of harmful free radicals or insufficient antioxidants. "Oxidative stress damaged the baby rats" brain cells, leading to a drop in proteins essential for proper function," said Lopez. "Oxidative stress is a risk factor linked to many disorders, including autism, cancer, Alzheimer"s, Parkinson"s, Lou Gehrig"s disease, multiple sclerosis and cardiovascular disease. We know that it exacerbates disease." "We believe that the minute levels of carbon monoxide in the mother rats" environment made their offspring more vulnerable to illness," added Edmond. "Our findings highlight the need for policy makers to re-examine the regulation of carbon monoxide." Tobacco smoke, gas heaters, stoves and ovens all emit carbon monoxide, which can rise to high concentrations in well-insulated homes. Infants and children are particularly vulnerable to carbon monoxide exposure because they spend a great deal of time in the home. No policies exist to regulate the gas in the home. Most commercial home monitors sound an alarm only hours after concentrations reaches 70 parts per million--nearly three times the 25 parts per million limit set by Cal/OSHA. A grant from the University of California"s Tobacco-related Disease Research Program supported the research. University of California, Los Angeles


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